Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) letters from hon. Members, (b) letters from members of the public and (c) parliamentary questions from (i) hon. Members and (ii) Members of the House of Lords were dealt with by her Department in each year since 1995; what percentage took (A) more than one month and (B) more than three months to provide a substantive answer; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information required is as follows:
	(a) The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members'/Peers' correspondence. The Report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, column 137–40WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	(b) The data is not held in the format requested. Therefore data provided in table A are given using Defra's 15-day working target.
	
		Table A: General correspondence 2000–01 to 2005–06
		
			 Period(1) General correspondence received General correspondence responded to within 15-days target Percentage responded to within 15-days target 
		
		
			 April to March
			 2000–01 106,007 96,899 91 
			 2001–02 99,545 85,573 86 
			 2002–03 114,229 98,546 86 
			 2003–04 119,446 116,626 98 
			 2004–05 106,451 96,679 91 
			 April to September (half financial year) 
			 2005–06 55,673 54,624 98 
		
	
	(1) Data before 2001, when Defra was created, is less reliable and has not been provided.
	(c) The data is not held in the format requested. Data provided in table B is based on the number of PQs answered more than 11 days late. Figures are collated on the basis of parliamentary sessions rather than calendar years.
	
		Table B: Parliamentary questions 1996 to 2005
		
			 Period(2) Number of PQs Reply after 11+ days Percentage 11+ days Department 
		
		
			 1995–96 2,210 — — MAFF 
			 1996–97 1,297 — — MAFF 
			 1997–98 4,081 — — MAFF 
			 1998–99 2,704 — — MAFF 
			 1999–2000 2,721 — — MAFF 
			 2000–01 1,909 — — MAFF 
			 2001–02 8,619 — — DEFRA 
			 2002–03 5,444 — — DEFRA 
			 2003–04 5,311 848 16 DEFRA 
			 2004–05 1,871 265 14.2 DEFRA 
		
	
	(2) Data before 2001, when Defra was created, is less reliable and has not been provided.
	In November 2003 a new database was introduced, which is not compatible with the earlier system. The new database produces stats on whether PQs have been answered on time, 1 day late, 2–5 days late, 6–10 days late and 11+ days late.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are taken by the Department to support staff with mental ill health.

Jim Knight: Defra have taken a number of initiatives and offer various levels of support and a variety of resources to support staff with mental ill health.
	The primary resource for line managers is the booklet published by 'Mindout', which offers practical advice on managing and supporting people who are experiencing stress, distress and mental health problems. Every manager has been passed a copy of this booklet and alongside this there are other resources including the Department's 'Stress-Web' intranet site which is a comprehensive central source of information on awareness, prevention and management of stress in the workplace and at home.
	'Stress-Web's' primary objectives to raise awareness of stress policy, suggest ways to prevent stress in the workplace and at home, help staff identify symptoms of stress in themselves and others, assist with the management of stress and identifies others who can help such as the Departmental Health and Safety Advisers and Employee Support Services. It also provides other internal and external resources such as videos, literature and information about events and websites of interest.
	As part of its new occupational health service provision and restructuring of its health and safety and welfare functions, Defra has refocused its resources to better tackle stress at work by targeting the 'root causes' at an organisational level, with its Health and Safety and Employee Support Advisers working more closely with business managers to proactively seek to ensure that better controls are in place to manage the risks from stress correctly.

Disability

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the initial activity undertaken by her Department in response to those recommendations in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report, Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, where lead responsibility was assigned to all Government Departments.

Jim Knight: This Department has undertaken the following activity in response to the recommendations of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report.
	Defra is currently undertaking work on a Disability Equality Scheme which is required by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. This will address how the Department delivers and promotes its services to disabled employees and customers. As part of the scheme we will be developing specific indicators of progress which the report outlines as important in measuring success. This Disability Equality Scheme will be published by 1 December 2006.
	Although some of the recommendations made in the Strategy Unit Report are not directly within Defra's remit, the Department is doing a lot of work in relation to the recommendation
	"improved support and incentives for getting and staying in employment."
	In particular disabled candidates are supported through the Two Ticks Scheme which ensures that all disabled applicants are interviewed for jobs, if they meet the minimum criteria for the post. In addition, the Department uses the Access to Work Scheme which independently assesses each disabled employee so reasonable adjustments can be made, where applicable, to enable them to develop and work to their full potential.

Energy Review

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding the Energy Review; and when she expects the Energy Review to report to her.

Elliot Morley: The review of UK energy policy is being taken forward by a team led by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Energy (Malcolm Wicks). The review will report to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in early summer.

Sustainability Symposia (Harlow)

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the representatives from her Department and public bodies for which her Department is responsible who attended the Harlow North Sustainability Symposia on 6 June.

Elliot Morley: So far as I am aware, one official from Defra attended this event along with two officials from the Environment Agency, one from the Waste Resources Action Programme and two from the Sustainable Development Commission.
	I believe this was a private event organised by Beyond Green under Chatham House rules.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department and previous Departments with his Department's responsibilities, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) Executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department in each year since May 1997.

Karen Buck: The Department was formed in May 2002. Details of spend on external consultants and advisers by the central Department and its Executive agencies is shown in the following table. Details in respect of non-departmental public bodies and other sponsored bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			£ million 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Central Department 57.2 58.5 65.2 
			 Highways Agency 157.5 169.7 115.0 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 4.0 3.4 4.8 
			 Driving Standards Agency 4.2 4.0 3.6 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 3.3 3.0 3.4 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 1.2 0.8 1.2 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Total 227.5 239.5 193.3

EU Transport Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings of the (a) Committee on the driving licence, (b) Advisory Committee on access for Community air carriers to intra-Community air routes, (c) Advisory Committee on the definition and use of compatible technical and operating standards and specifications for the procurement of air-traffic-management equipment and systems and (d) Committee on the harmonisation of technical requirements and administrative procedures in the field of civil aviation have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; what other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved Governments; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) and (b) There were no meetings of these committees during the UK presidency.
	(c) There were no meetings of this Committee during the UK presidency. The Committee will not meet again as the related directives 93/65/EEC and 97/15/EC and regulations (EC) numbers 2082/2000 and 980/2002 were repealed on 20 October 2005 by the Single European Sky interoperability regulation.
	(d) There have been three meetings of this Committee during the UK presidency. All of the meetings were chaired by the European Commission. DfT represented the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority also attended one of the meetings.
	The UK Government takes into account the views and interests of the devolved administrations when formulating the UK's policy position on all EU and international issues which touch upon devolved matters. Provision for attendance at EU meetings by Ministers and officials of the devolved administrations is set out in paragraphs 4.12–15 of the Concordat on Co-ordination of European Union Policy Issues (part of the Memorandum of Understanding between devolved Ministers and the UK Government). Ministers from the devolved administrations have attended and do attend Councils, by agreement with the lead Whitehall Minister.
	A copy is available on the internet at: http://www.dca.gov.uk/constitution/devolution/pubs/odpm_dev_ 600629.pdf

EU Transport Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings of the (a) Committee on the system of charging for the use of transport infrastructure, (b) Committee on the development of the trans-European transport networks and (c) Committee for granting Community financial aid in the field of trans-European energy networks have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; what other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is as follows.
	(a) There have been no meetings of this committee during the UK presidency.
	(b) There has been one meeting of this Committee during the UK presidency. The Committee was chaired by the Commission and the UK was represented by DfT.
	(c) The policy area with which this Committee deals is not the responsibility of the Department for Transport.
	The UK Government take into account the views and interests of the devolved Administrations when formulating the UK's policy position on all EU and international issues which touch upon devolved matters. Provision for attendance at EU meetings by Ministers and officials of the devolved Administrations is set out in paragraphs 4.12–15 of the Concordat on Co-ordination of European Union Policy Issues (part of the Memorandum of Understanding between devolved Ministers and the UK Government). Ministers from the devolved Administrations have attended and do attend Councils, by agreement with the lead Whitehall Minister.
	A copy is available on the internet at: http://www.dca.gov.uk/constitution/devolution/pubs/odpm_dev_ 600629.pdf.

Mobile Phones

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to inform motorists of the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.

Stephen Ladyman: Messages on the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving are promoted as part of the Department's THINK! road safety campaign, which has a budget of £18 million in this fiscal year.
	Mobile phone messages have been included in the THINK! campaign since 2002. Activity this fiscal year includes cinema and radio advertising and leaflets and posters which encourage drivers to switch off their mobile phones before they drive off, using captions such as "switch off before you drive off" and "missing a call won't kill you".
	Provisions in the Road Safety Bill, presently before the House, will make the penalty for the offences of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, and for not having proper control of a vehicle (used to deal with those who drive poorly while using a hands-free phone), endorseable with three points and a £60 fine. Subject to parliamentary consideration of the Bill, the Department will promote awareness of the increased penalties.

Road Accidents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) males and (b) females were (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured and (iii) slightly injured as a result of a motor vehicle being driven on the wrong side of the road in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

Roads

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost has been to his Department of (a) repairing existing and (b) building new roads in each year since 1997, broken down by category of road.

Stephen Ladyman: The motorways and trunks roads of the strategic road network are managed by the Highways Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Transport. The reporting of the cost of these roads is not broken down by category of road. The figures for repairing existing and building new roads on this network since 1998–99 are:
	
		
			£ billion 
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Repairing(4) 0.64 0.72 0.74 0.71 0.76 0.78 0.73 
			 Building new roads(5) 0.32 0.36 0.31 0.40 0.51 0.35 0.35 
		
	
	(4) Resource and capital expenditure.
	(5) The apparent decrease in spending between 2002–03 and 2003–04 is due to a change in accounting treatment of lands provisions.
	Note:
	Information is not readily available for 1997–98.
	This information includes expenditure on roads in London until the creation of Transport for London in 2000. The later numbers do not include this expenditure, which is now a matter for the Mayor of London and the Greater London Assembly.

Seat Belts

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) front and (b) rear seat belt wearing rates are among (i) males and (ii) females in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the equivalent rates were in (A) 1980, (B) 1982, (C) 1983, (D) 1984, (E) 1987, (F) 1990, (G) 1992, (H) 1994, (I) 1996 and (J) 1998.

Stephen Ladyman: Survey data on observed seat belt wearing rates from 1982 to 1989 only cover front seat occupants of cars and do not distinguish by gender. Surveys were not made prior to 1982. The available data is in the table:
	
		Wearing rates for car front seat occupants Percentage
		
			 Month Driver Passenger 
		
		
			 May 1982 37 39 
			 April 1983 95 94 
			 April 1984 95 96 
			 April 1987 94 95 
		
	
	Source:
	TRRL report RR289: "Restraint use by car occupants 1982 to 1989"
	From October 1988, surveys provided the following observed wearing rates for drivers and front and rear occupants:
	
		Wearing rates for car drivers and front and rear seat occupants
		
			 As at April 1990 Percentage 
		
		
			 Driver 93 
			 Front passenger 93 
			 Rear passenger 45 
		
	
	Source:
	TRRL leaflet LF2051 "Restraint use by car occupants 1990–91"
	From April 1991 the surveys provided observed wearing rates by age group for drivers and by age group and gender for front and rear occupants, shown in the following table. Later surveys provided wearing rates by gender for drivers. A gender split for children is only available from April 2003. Prior to April 2003, the data for children in rear seats are split into 0–4 and 5–13 age groups and wearing rates are not aggregated.
	
		Wearing rates for car drivers, front and rear seat occupants distinguished by age group and gender Percentage
		
			  Driver Front seat passenger Rear seat passenger 
			  Age groups 
			 Gender 17–29 30–59 60 0–13 14–29 30–59 60 0–13 14–29 30–59 60 or 0–4/5–13 
		
		
			 April 1992 
			 Male 91 93 94 94 83 87 88 85/67 44 39 48 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 93 96 95 — 41 51 55 
			 
			 April 1994 
			 Male 92 93 94 97 87 89 93 82/81 36 40 53 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 93 97 96 — 46 53 65 
			 
			 April 1996 
			 Male 91 91 93 95 84 91 93 85/74 31 42 53 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 92 96 95 — 40 48 59 
			 
			 April 1998 
			 Male 91 91 93 96 84 86 89 87/73 38 36 59 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 91 95 95 — 46 52 66 
			 
			 April 1999 
			 Male 91 92 94 97 88 90 92 94/86 53 47 70 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 94 96 97 — 58 61 72 
			 April 2000 
			 Male 88 91 93 96 83 89 93 94/86 45 45 69 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 93 96 97 — 49 61 74 
			 
			 April 2001 
			 Male 91 91 92 96 83 85 92 94/85 54 49 55 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 93 96 96 — 52 52 70 
			 
			 April 2002 
			 Male 91 91 93 95 86 85 93 97/86 53 37 59 
			 Female (6)— (6)— (6)— — 93 96 97 — 61 58 69 
			 
			 April 2003 
			 Male 86 88 92 96 82 81 93 90 51 41 68 
			 Female 93 95 94 96 92 96 97 91 61 64 73 
			 
			 April 2004 
			 Male 88 91 92 96 84 89 94 92 57 47 69 
			 Female 96 96 96 97 94 96 97 93 71 67 80 
			 
			 April 2005 
			 Male 90 90 94 98 87 88 95 93 56 45 65 
			 Female 96 96 97 96 93 96 98 92 70 66 80 
		
	
	Source:
	TRL leaflets Lf2056, 2068, 2077, 2078, 2081, 2083, 2085, 2087, 2090, 2092, 2096.
	The most recent survey results, "Restraint use by car occupants 2003 to 2005" (Reference Lf2096) are available free from TRL at www.trl.co.uk/store/report_list.asp?pid=211&pno=6&searchtext= (listed under Reports 51–54). Earlier reports are available on application to TRL (www.trl.co.uk).

Speed Cameras

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will permit revenue raised from speed camera fines to be used to fund 20 mph zones outside schools.

Stephen Ladyman: The current funding arrangement of the National Safety Camera Programme allows for revenue raised from safety cameras to be used only to fund the deployment of safety cameras.
	This is because the Safety Camera Programme has a specific purpose, provided for in the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001, section 38 'Unified power for the Secretary of State to fund speed cameras etc' whereby police forces and highway authorities are provided with extra resources to support the deployment and operation of safety cameras, from the fines for speeding and red light offences detected, over and above their main road safety funding. The resources provided through the programme cannot therefore be used for any other purposes, not provided for in the Act.
	Under this current arrangement any surplus fine revenue is paid to the Consolidated Fund at HM Treasury.
	The Secretary of State announced on 15 December 2005 that this funding arrangement for safety cameras will end on 31 March 2007. From 1 April 2007 all future income from safety cameras in England and Wales will go to the Consolidated Fund in the same way as other fines.
	In England the Department for Transport will be enhancing the level of funding for road safety within the local transport planning process by £440 million over the period 2007–08 to 2010–11. This new arrangement for funding road safety will give local road safety partnerships (local authorities, the police and other agencies who work with them) greater flexibility to implement the mix of road safety measures, including 20 mph zones around schools, that will make the greatest contribution to reducing road casualties in their area.
	On 1 April 2007, responsibility for safety cameras in Wales will transfer to the National Assembly for Wales. I understand that the Welsh Assembly Government are considering future funding arrangements.

Speed Cameras

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there are in the county of Nottinghamshire excluding cameras on the A1.

Stephen Ladyman: The table shows the number of speed camera sites, broken down by type, which are operated by the Nottinghamshire Safety Camera Partnership, excluding those on the A1.
	
		
			  Nottinghamshire Nottingham city Total 
		
		
			 Combined speed/red light 2 0 2 
			 Time/distance 7 4 11 
			 Fixed 6 3 9 
			 Mobile 24 12 36 
			 Total 39 19 58 
		
	
	There may be several camera housings contained within one site. The police have the discretion to enforce speed limits outside the national safety camera programme, and this could be done anywhere on the road network.

Trust Ports

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants have been made to each trust port in the last 12 months (a) in total and (b) broken down by type of grant.

Stephen Ladyman: Trust ports receive no grants from this Department to support their functions as Statutory Harbour Authorities. I understand that grants were given by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for fishing port facilities in 2005 to the following trust ports:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Trust port Amount 
		
		
			 Mevagissey 56,705 
			 Newlyn 1,043,366 
			 North Sunderland (Seahouses) 9,038 
			 Port Isaac 40,000 
			 Sennen Cove 2,473 
			 Warkworth (Amble) 111,007

Vehicle Registration

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the number of foreign registered (a) cars, (b) commercial vans and (c) lorries on UK roads in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Estimates of the number of foreign registered vehicles on UK roads are not available. However, the estimated number of foreign registered vehicles leaving the UK is as follows.
	
		Estimated number of foreign registered vehicles(6) leaving the UK: 1997 to 2004 Thousand
		
			  Cars(7) Goods vehicles(8) 
		
		
			 1997 1,019 671 
			 1998 880 826 
			 1999 (9)1,015 967 
			 2000 801 1,153 
			 2001 722 1,319 
			 2002 862 1,435 
			 2003 770 1,453 
			 2004 799 1,595 
		
	
	(6) Vehicles leaving on ferries or through the Channel Tunnel. Figures are for vehicle trips (i.e. a vehicle is counted once each time it leaves the UK).
	(7) Cars includes minibuses (small passenger vehicles with 9 to 15 passenger seats) and similar vehicles, and light goods vehicles up to 4.5 metres long.
	(8) Goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight.
	(9) From 1999, traffic between the UK and the Irish Republic, either by sea or across the land border (about 130,000 cars) is included. This was excluded in earlier years.
	Source:
	Cars, International Passenger Survey (Office for National Statistics); Goods vehicles, Roll on/Roll off Goods Vehicle Survey (Department for Transport)

Art Loans

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she has taken to reassure the Russian Government that works of art on loan to British museums and galleries will not be seized as a result of international debts owed to third parties.

David Lammy: No discussions have as yet taken place with the Russian Government on these issues. I am meeting museum and gallery directors most affected by these issues shortly to discuss possible solutions and to consider how we can reassure Russian museums and galleries as to the safety of continuing to lend items to UK institutions.

Departmental Expenditure

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.

David Lammy: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department has had a zero spend on design and production of new logos since 2000.
	(b) (i) The Department spent £100,000 on public relations in 2004–05. The Department anticipates a spend of £250,000 on public relations in 2005–06 (both public relations spends relate to the Digital Campaign).
	(ii) The information on graphic design agencies broken down by projects could be given only at disproportionate cost. However the total spend on publicity, including all graphic design work, since 2000 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000 497,404 
			 2000–01 497,243 
			 2001–02 318,140 
			 2002–03 386,233 
			 2003–04 533,549 
			 2004–05 711,242

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the annual expenditure on training and development for (a) her Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which she is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

David Lammy: For the last three financial years the total cost to (a) the Department of all training and development provision was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Cost 
		
		
			 2002–03 482,573 
			 2003–04 453,709 
			 2004–05 621,349 
		
	
	The information for (b) (i) Non-Departmental Public Bodies and (iii) other public bodies for which the Secretary of State is responsible is not collected centrally on a regional basis and so could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(ii) The figures for The Royal Parks Agency, the Department's only executive agency, are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Amount 
		
		
			 2002–03 33,000 
			 2003–04 24,000 
			 2004–05 62,000 
		
	
	In reference to points (A), (B), (C) and (D), neither DCMS nor the Royal Parks Agency has offices outside London.
	The planned expenditure on training and development for the Department for 2005–06 is £621,000.
	The planned expenditure on training and development for the Royal Parks Agency for 2005–06 is £100,000.

Departmental Staff

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many civil servants in her Department worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not centrally monitor staff working patterns. However, of those we know, there are 25 people who regularly work from home for at least one day a week.
	The Department continues in its commitment to Work Life Balance and has policies in place to encourage staff to take advantage of a wide range of alternative working patterns on offer, including working from home.

Gambling Act 2005

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance (a) her Department and (b) the Gambling Commission has issued on when licensing authorities may (i) consult on and (ii) adopt, a policy resolution not to issue casino licences under the Gambling Act 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Licensing authorities may have regard to any principle or matter in passing a resolution, made under section 166 of the Gambling Act 2005, not to issue a casino premises licence. They may consult local people at any time and in any manner on their views on casinos, and we envisage that many will want to do so when considering making a resolution under section 166.
	Licensing authorities will not be able to pass a resolution until the relevant provisions in section 166 have been formally commenced. This will be done in good time for any resolution to be included in licensing authorities' three year licensing policy statements.
	Draft guidance to licensing authorities about the exercise of their functions under the Gambling Act 2005 was published by the Gambling Commission on 16 December 2005.

Licensed Premises

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of (a) the proportion of licensed premises to which children have access and (b) the proportion of these premises which (i) serve and (ii) do not serve food.

Richard Caborn: Under the old regime, it was legal for unsupervised children of any age to enter and remain in licensed premises so long as they did not enter the 'bar area'. Under the new regime, there are restrictions that prevent unaccompanied children under 16 being present in certain categories of premises that sell alcohol for consumption on the premises, including pubs and night clubs. In addition, where necessary and appropriate, conditions may be attached to premises licences or club premises certificates which prohibit or restrict the entry of children.
	We estimate that there are around 190,000 premises licensed under the 2003 Act but information is not held centrally on how many have conditions attached to their licence which restrict entry to children. As 'licensed' premises include pubs, nightclubs, hotels, cinemas, theatres, restaurants and late night takeaways, it is likely that the vast majority serve food, including bar snacks.

Swimming Pools

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many calls have been made to the hotline set up to deal with parents' questions about swimming pool admissions policy.

Richard Caborn: The primary purpose of the hotline is to provide a point of contact for parents who wish to make a complaint about being denied access to a specific pool as a result of a child admissions policy. Since it went "live" on 8 September 2005, the hotline has received nine telephone calls, all of which have been to request general information about local swimming facilities. The hotline has also received 14 e-mails which have ranged from specific complaints about an admissions policy at an individual pool to more general concerns about admissions policies per se.

Swimming Pools

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pools have altered their admission policy on parental supervision of children since her meeting on the subject earlier in 2005.

Richard Caborn: Data has not been collated on the numbers of pools where an admissions policy has altered since my meeting on this subject in 2005. Information on admissions policies at individual pools in England is available through Sport England's "Active Places" website (www.ActivePlaces.com). The Amateur Swimming Association has also compiled a comprehensive list of swimming pools through which similar information can be found. Both databases are maintained regularly.
	It is for individual pool operators to determine appropriate measures to mitigate risks at their pools identified through a risk assessment. The Health and Safety Executive advocates that, as part of this process, pool operators should consider the number of children which can safely be accompanied by a single adult. Risk mitigation measures should be kept under review to ensure that they remain appropriate. It is also sensible for pool operators to take account of the guidance available in this area.

Television/Radio

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the estimated number of (a) televisions and (b) radios in use in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) each of the English regions and (iv) Northern Ireland is.

Richard Caborn: The number of televisions in use by ITV region (the only format in which we possess this information) is:
	
		
			  Number of television sets 
		
		
			 London 11 million 
			 Midlands 9.1 million 
			 North West 6 million 
			 Yorkshire 5.5 million 
			 Central Scotland 3.2 million 
			 North Scotland 1.2 million 
			 South and South East and Channel Islands 5.4 million 
			 North East 2.8 million 
			 East 4.3 million 
			 South West 1.8 million 
			 Ulster 1.1 million 
			 Border 636,000 
			 West 2.4 million 
			 Wales 2.4 million 
		
	
	Note:
	Border ITV covers communities on both sides of the England/Scotland border.
	Source:
	BARB Establishment survey June 2004.
	The approximate number of radio sets (including analogue and digital) in the nations of the UK are:
	
		
			  Million 
			  Number of radio sets 
		
		
			 Scotland 13 
			 England 120 
			 Wales 7.6 
			 Ulster 4.3 
		
	
	Source:
	RAJAR

Child Support Agency

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been received by the Child Support Agency in each year since 1997; how many went forward for adjudication; and how many have been (a) fully and (b) partially upheld.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 January 2006
	In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been received by the Child Support Agency in each year since 1997; how many went forward for adjudication; and how many have been (a) full and (b) partially upheld.
	I have provided tables below to show the number of complaints received by the Agency by clients, and by other bodies, for which information is available. It should be noted that it is difficult to use this information to make meaningful comparisons over time due to changes in the way that information has been recorded. In particular, whilst the volume of Stage 1 complaints undoubtedly rose between 2002/3 and 2003/4, this is likely to have been due in part to more rigorous recording of complaints received at the time, and the introduction by the Agency of a three tier complaints process during 2003/04.
	The three tier complaints process comprises of; Stage 1 complaints from clients which are dealt with by the Complaints Resolution Team located within each of the Agency's six business units. Stage 2 complaints which are an escalation to the relevant Area Director when the client is not satisfied with the outcome of stage 1, and stage 3 which is an escalation to the Chief Executive if the client remains dissatisfied.
	Complaints are also received into the Agency from MPs, or via MPs from a member of the public.
	The outcome of whether a complaint to the Agency is upheld is not recorded. However, as described above, clients are signposted to the next level of the process should they remain dissatisfied. The table below shows the volume of cases escalated to stages two and three, for which information is available. Once these internal avenues have been exhausted, the client may wish to contact the Independent Case Examiner (ICE), their MP or, via their MP, to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.
	
		Agency complaints—number of cases received in the agency 1997 to 2005
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Stage 1 complaints received (written) 27,875 28,073 21,015 19,634 15,493 15,182 24,809 29,213 
			 Stage 1 Complaints received (telephone) (10)— (10)— (10)— (10)— (10)— (11)— 7,458 10,570 
			 Chief Executive Complaints (12)— (12)— (12)— 4,096 4,555 7,804 (13)— (14)— 
			 Treat Official Complaints (12)(15)— (12)(15)— (12)(15)— 2,609 2,869 1,344 1,521 1,108 
			 MP Complaints to Business Units (12)— (12)— (12)— 4,175 4,818 4,537 5,317 8,871 
		
	
	
		Stage 1: Complaints escalated to stages 2 and 3. Between June 2004 and March 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Stage 1 complaints 32,898 
			 Complaints escalated to stage 2 4,352 
			 Complaints escalated to stage 3 2,549 
		
	
	(10) While the agency did receive stage 1 telephone complaints prior to 2002–03, their volumes were not recorded, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(11) Although 671 stage 1 telephone complaints were recorded between December 2002 and March 2003, their volumes were not recorded throughout the whole year, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(12) While the agency did receive complaints directly to the chief executive, treat official complaints, and MP complaints to business units prior to 2000–01, their volumes were not recorded, thus preventing meaningful comparison with later years.
	(13) During 2003–04 complaints sent directly to the chief executive were not recorded separately from those complaints, which were escalated to him as part of the 3 stage process. Therefore, although 7,183 complaints in total were received during 2003–04, it is not possible to separate out those complaints received by the chief executive directly (as opposed to those escalated via the complaints process), thus preventing meaningful comparison with data for earlier years.
	(14) In April and May of 2004, the chief executive received a total of 1,435 complaints but is not possible to separate out those complaints received by the chief executive directly, as opposed to those escalated to stage 3 of the complaints process). From June 2004-March 2005, after which time such complaints were recorded separately, the chief executive received 4,352 direct complaints and 2,549 complaints escalated upwards from stage 2. Again, these recording issues prevent meaningful comparison of this category with earlier years.
	(15) Treat official letters are those received by a Minister from a member of the public, and referred for initial consideration to an official of the agency.
	I hope you find this answer useful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of parents with care on income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance have received Child Support Agency maintenance in each reporting period since 1999–2000;
	(2)  what proportion of parents with care on income support and income based jobseeker's allowance have received maintenance for their children in each year since 1995–96; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 January 2005
	In reply to your recent parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Works and Pensions what proportion of parents with care on income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance have received Child support Agency maintenance in each reporting period since 1999–2000.
	In addition, you asked the Secretary of State what proportion of parents with care on income support and income based jobseeker's allowance have received maintenance for their children in each year since 1995–96; and if he will make a statement.
	The available information is detailed in the attached table.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		Proportion of parents with care on income support and income based jobseeker's allowance receiving maintenance between November 1997 and May 2005
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 November 1997 28 
			 February 1998 27 
			 May 1998 27 
			 August 1998 26 
			 November 1998 26 
			 February 1999 26 
			 May 1999 26 
			 August 1999 26 
			 November 1999 26 
			 February 2000 25 
			 May 2000 25 
			 August 2000 25 
			 November 2000 25 
			 February 2001 24 
			 May 2001 25 
			 August 2001 25 
			 November 2001 24 
			 February 2002 24 
			 May 2002 24 
			 August 2002 24 
			 November 2002 24 
			 February 2003 25 
			 May 2003 — 
			 August 2003 — 
			 November 2003 — 
			 February 2004 23 
			 May 2004 23 
			 August 2004 23 
			 November 2004 24 
			 February 2005 24 
			 May 2005 25 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. The percentages are calculated by combing information from the CSA administrative system with that from the benefits system to get current benefit status. Information from the latter system does not exist prior to 1997.
	3. We cannot provide information for 2003–04. This is due to limitations with the new system (CS2), which mean we do not currently hold information for new scheme cases and old scheme cases on CS2 for that period. This is an issue we are working to address and are hopeful that we will be able to provide this information in the near future.
	4. The methodology used to produce these statistics is consistent with that used in the measurement of the Department's Public Service Agreement target in this area. Namely, all those cases with a child maintenance calculation or assessment where the parent with care is on income support or income based job seekers allowance (including those with a nil liability) who are in receipt of maintenance.

Child Support Agency

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how long the Child Support Agency plans to continue collecting maintenance from the constituent of the right hon. Member for Birkenhead, case number 327000131454.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive, as Stephen Geraghty is on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how long the Child Support Agency plans to continue collecting maintenance from the constituent of the hon. Member for Birkenhead case number 327000131454.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 372W, on housing benefit, what estimate he has made of (a) the cost of limiting a 10 per cent. reduction in the housing benefit taper to earned income and (b) the cost of limiting a five per cent. reduction in the council tax benefit taper to earned income.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 21 November 2005
	There would be no cost to local authorities for paying additional benefit as this would be met by the Department. The only impact to local authorities would be associated with the processing and maintenance of additional new claims; the numbers of which are in the table. The Department does not collect management information relating to the cost to authorities of processing and maintaining claims.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		Cost associated with reducing housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) tapers
		
			  Number of new beneficiaries floating on Number of existing beneficiaries gaining Cost in annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) 
		
		
			 Reducing the HB taper from 65% to 55% for earned income 105,000 305,000 150 
			 Reducing the CTB taper from 20% to 15% for earned income 255,000 290,000 75 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are for Great Britain.
	2. Beneficiaries are rounded to the nearest 5,000 and costs are rounded to the nearest £5 million.
	3. Each beneficiary represents a benefit unit, which can be a single claimant or a couple.
	4. Earned income consists of income from earnings only, and excludes occupational pensions. For a couple, their earned income is their combined earnings.
	5. The impact is estimated using the Department's Policy Simulation Model for 2005–06, using data from the 2003–04 Family Resources Survey up-rated to 2005–06 prices, benefit rates and earnings levels, and is calibrated to latest published forecasts and policies.
	6. Results are subject to sampling and reporting errors and estimation assumptions, and are therefore indicative only. No behavioural changes are assumed.

Housing Benefit

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many tenants in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham received housing benefit in each of the past eight years; what percentage in each year rented from (i) a local authority, (ii) a registered social landlord, (iii) a private landlord and (iv) an employer; and what the average housing benefit payment was in each category.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available for tenancies where the landlord is the tenant's employer. The available information is in the following tables.
	
		Housing benefit caseload by tenure as percentage of total caseload: England
		
			   Percentage of total 
			 May Total (000) Local authority Registered social landlord Private (excluding RSL) 
		
		
			 1997 3,870.8 57.9 17.6 24.4 
			 1998 3,725.5 57.3 19.6 23.1 
			 1999 3,585.4 56.0 21.8 22.2 
			 2000 3,341.7 54.2 24.4 21.4 
			 2001 3,207.4 52.5 27.3 20.2 
			 2002 3,159.9 50.9 29.4 19.8 
			 2003 3,161.3 47.2 33.1 19.7 
			 2004 3,232.6 45.4 34.5 20.1 
			 2005 3,314.9 43.9 35.2 20.9 
		
	
	
		Housing benefit caseload by tenure as percentage of total caseload: West Midlands
		
			   Percentage of total 
			 May Total (000) Local authority Registered social landlord Private (excluding RSL) 
		
		
			 1997 413.4 65.6 18.5 16.0 
			 1998 402.8 64.9 19.4 15.8 
			 1999 388.6 62.1 22.4 15.5 
			 2000 364.5 59.1 25.7 15.2 
			 2001 351.7 53.9 31.4 14.7 
			 2002 349.1 52.0 33.1 14.9 
			 2003 349.9 47.0 37.9 15.1 
			 2004 347.0 44.1 40.4 15.5 
			 2005 352.2 43.1 40.1 16.8 
		
	
	
		Housing benefit caseload by tenure as percentage of total caseload: Birmingham
		
			   Percentage of total 
			 May Total (000) Local authority Registered social landlord Private (excluding RSL) 
		
		
			 1997 110.8 63.8 20.5 15.7 
			 1998 109.5 63.0 21.2 15.9 
			 1999 104.5 62.3 22.1 15.6 
			 2000 91.7 61.2 24.0 14.8 
			 2001 90.8 60.6 25.4 14.0 
			 2002 92.4 58.9 26.7 14.3 
			 2003 89.5 58.2 27.4 14.4 
			 2004 88.7 56.8 27.7 15.5 
			 2005 88.5 54.9 28.1 17.0 
		
	
	
		Housing benefit caseload and tenure by average amount in payment: England £ per week
		
			 May Total Local authority Registered social landlord Private (excluding RSL) 
		
		
			 1997 44.82 37.15 50.31 59.07 
			 1998 45.90 37.97 52.63 59.89 
			 1999 47.90 40.04 54.64 61.11 
			 2000 50.00 42.34 55.88 62.69 
			 2001 52.97 45.38 58.18 65.65 
			 2002 56.60 47.73 62.87 70.07 
			 2003 57.99 49.90 60.41 73.32 
			 2004 61.99 53.95 63.09 78.29 
			 2005 65.79 56.98 65.92 84.11 
		
	
	
		Housing benefit caseload and tenure by average amount in payment: West Midlands £ per week
		
			 May Total Local authority Registered social landlord Private (excluding RSL) 
		
		
			 1997 39.30 34.81 45.46 50.61 
			 1998 40.40 35.34 47.50 52.46 
			 1999 42.38 36.99 49.15 54.21 
			 2000 44.08 38.89 48.98 55.92 
			 2001 46.52 41.33 49.72 58.73 
			 2002 49.43 43.44 52.77 62.97 
			 2003 50.08 44.35 52.02 63.10 
			 2004 52.99 47.23 54.12 66.41 
			 2005 55.67 48.99 56.65 70.44 
		
	
	
		Housing benefit caseload and tenure by average amount in payment: Birmingham £ per week
		
			 May Total Local authority Registered social landlord Private (excluding RSL) 
		
		
			 1997 42.95 37.75 49.55 55.49 
			 1998 43.86 37.71 52.03 57.40 
			 1999 46.16 39.98 53.89 59.87 
			 2000 47.05 40.82 54.59 60.56 
			 2001 48.13 41.97 55.55 61.36 
			 2002 51.87 44.90 60.02 65.31 
			 2003 51.47 45.09 58.27 64.32 
			 2004 54.91 48.18 61.08 68.56 
			 2005 58.60 51.55 63.49 73.26 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred and shown in thousands.
	2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.
	4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.
	5. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest penny.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken between May 1997 and May 2005.

Administrative Savings

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what administrative savings have been made by his Department in each of the last eight years.

James Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the Employment Service.
	Information is published on gross and net controlled administration cost under spends in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Papers. These are available in the Library of the House.
	As part of the 2004 Spending Review the Department is required to achieve efficiency gains of at least £960 million by 2007–08 as set out in the Efficiency Technical Note which is available on the Department's website.

Benefit Payments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what total spending was on (a) all pensioner benefits, (b) the basic state pension, (c) minimum income guarantee and pension credit, (d) winter fuel payment, (e) disability benefits for pensioners, (f) housing benefit for pensioners, (g) council tax benefit for pensioners and (h) other benefits for pensioners (i) in cash terms, (ii) in real terms and (iii) as a percentage of gross domestic product in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures in (A) 2010, (B) 2020, (C) 2030, (D) 2040 and (E) 2050.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		(a) All pensioner benefit expenditure, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i) Cash terms (ii) Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 45,464 54,674 5.5 
			 1998–99 47,505 55,683 5.5 
			 1999–2000 50,532 58,089 5.5 
			 2000–01 53,415 60,610 5.5 
			 2001–02 57,637 63,824 5.7 
			 2002–03 60,869 65,327 5.7 
			 2003–04 64,214 67,137 5.7 
			 2004–05 70,654 72,333 6.0 
			 2010–11 97,710 85,759 6.2 
			 2020–21 151,920 101,163 5.8 
			 2030–31 265,021 133,893 6.3 
			 2040–41 448,220 171,806 6.7 
			 2050–51 781,010 227,129 7.2 
		
	
	
		(b) Basic state pension expenditure, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i) Cash terms (ii) Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 30,391 36,547 3.7 
			 1998–99 31,914 37,408 3.7 
			 1999–2000 33,378 38,369 3.6 
			 2000–01 33,986 38,564 3.5 
			 2001–02 36,565 40,490 3.6 
			 2002–03 38,469 41,287 3.6 
			 2003–04 39,828 41,641 3.6 
			 2004–05 41,389 42,373 3.5 
			 2010–11 54,339 47,693 3.4 
			 2020–21 81,809 54,477 3.1 
			 2030–31 132,914 67,150 3.2 
			 2040–41 197,113 75,555 2.9 
			 2050–51 274,409 79,802 2.5 
		
	
	
		(c) MIG/pension credit expenditure, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i) Cash terms (ii) Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 3,721 4,475 0.5 
			 1998–99 3,566 4,180 0.4 
			 1999–2000 3,725 4,283 0.4 
			 2000–01 4,035 4,578 0.4 
			 2001–02 4,417 4,891 0.4 
			 2002–03 4,405 4,728 0.4 
			 2003–04 4,851 5,072 0.4 
			 2004–05 5,997 6,140 0.5 
			 2010–11 9,262 8,129 0.6 
			 2020–21 15,145 10,085 0.6 
			 2030–31 33,145 16,745 0.8 
			 2040–41 75,471 28,929 1.1 
			 2050–51 175,361 50,998 1.6 
		
	
	
		(d) Winter fuel payment expenditure, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i) Cash terms (ii) Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 191 229 * 
			 1998–99 194 228 * 
			 1999–2000 759 873 0.1 
			 2000–01 1,749 1,985 0.2 
			 2001–02 1,681 1,861 0.2 
			 2002–03 1,705 1,830 0.2 
			 2003–04 1,916 2,003 0.2 
			 2004–05 1,954 2,000 0.2 
			 2010–11 2,147 1,884 0.1 
			 2020–21 2,024 1,348 0.1 
			 2030–31 2,492 1,259 0.1 
			 2040–41 2,807 1,076 * 
			 2050–51 3,013 876 * 
		
	
	
		(e) Disability benefit expenditure for pensioners, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i) Cash terms (ii) Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 4,031 4,848 0.5 
			 1998–99 4,353 5,103 0.5 
			 1999–2000 4,652 5,348 0.5 
			 2000–01 4,965 5,634 0.5 
			 2001–02 5,335 5,907 0.5 
			 2002–03 5,598 6,008 0.5 
			 2003–04 6,027 6,301 0.5 
			 2004–05 6,418 6,571 0.5 
			 2010–11 9,019 7,916 0.6 
			 2020–21 13,874 9,238 0.5 
			 2030–31 23,220 11,731 0.6 
			 2040–41 35,826 13,732 0.5 
			 2050–51 51,544 14,990 0.5 
		
	
	
		(f) Housing benefit for pensioners expenditure, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i) Cash terms (ii) Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 3,781 4,547 0.5 
			 1998–99 3,843 4,504 0.4 
			 1999–2000 3,931 4,518 0.4 
			 2000–01 4,110 4,664 0.4 
			 2001–02 4,380 4,850 0.4 
			 2002–03 4,730 5,077 0.4 
			 2003–04 4,475 4,679 0.4 
			 2004–05 4,692 4,804 0.4 
			 2010–11 6,194 5,437 0.4 
			 2020–21 9,044 6,023 0.3 
			 2030–31 16,186 8,177 0.4 
			 2040–41 29,958 11 ,483 0.4 
			 2050–51 58,791 17,097 0.5 
		
	
	
		(g) Council tax benefit for pensioners expenditure, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i) Cash terms (ii)Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,080 1,298 0.1 
			 1998–99 1,125 1,318 0.1 
			 1999–2000 1,164 1,338 0.1 
			 2000–01 1,230 1,395 0.1 
			 2001–02 1,325 1,467 0.1 
			 2002–03 1,420 1,524 0.1 
			 2003–04 1,636 1,711 0.1 
			 2004–05 1,818 1,861 0.2 
			 2010–11 2,808 2,465 0.2 
			 2020–21 3,648 2,429 0.1 
			 2030–31 6,004 3,034 0.1 
			 2040–41 10,595 4,061 0.2 
			 2050–51 20,870 6,069 0.2 
		
	
	
		(h) Other benefits for pensioners expenditure, Great Britain
		
			  £ million 
			  (i)Cash terms (ii) Real terms, 2005–06 prices (iii) Percentage of gross domestic product 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,270 2,730 0.3 
			 1998–99 2,510 2,942 0.3 
			 1999–2000 2,923 3,360 0.3 
			 2000–01 3,340 3,789 0.3 
			 2001–02 3,935 4,358 0.4 
			 2002–03 4,541 4,874 0.4 
			 2003–04 5,480 5,730 0.5 
			 2004–05 8,386 8,585 0.7 
			 2010–11 13,941 12,236 0.9 
			 2020–21 26,375 17,563 1.0 
			 2030–31 51,062 25,797 1.2 
			 2040–41 96,449 36,970 1.4 
			 2050–51 197,022 57,297 1.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure figures are for Great Britain.
	2. Expenditure has been rounded to the nearest million pounds.
	3. Gross domestic product percentages have been rounded to one decimal place. A percentage less than 0.1 per cent. is indicated by the symbol *.
	4. Expenditure for the basic state pension, minimum income guarantee and other benefits for pensioners include a small amount of expenditure on child dependency increases which are paid with some of these entitlements.
	5. Disability benefits for pensioners include disability living allowance, attendance allowance and severe disablement allowance.
	6. For figures up to 2004–05, other benefits for pensioners include additional state pension/SERPS, non-contributory retirement pension, contribution based Christmas bonus, pensions compensation board, over65's payment, over70's payment, the over 75 TV licence, widow's benefit, bereavement benefits and incapacity benefit.
	Incapacity benefit is only included until 2000–01 as incapacity benefit was no longer paid to people over pension age after that year, following the 1995 Reforms.
	7. For figures from 2010–11, other benefits for pensioners include additional state pension/SERPS, non-contributory retirement pension, contribution based Christmas bonus, non-contributory Christmas bonus and the over 75 TV licence.
	8. As per the above notes (6 and 7), the breakdown of expenditure is not on a consistent basis.
	Source:
	Expenditure and percentage of gross domestic product figures have been taken from data which underlies the 2005 pre-Budget report.

Benefits Administration Errors

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of losses due to error in the administration of benefits for each of the last eight years, broken down by the type of benefit.

James Plaskitt: The Department produces estimates for the amount overpaid through fraud and error across the benefits system. Previously published results are included in the table.
	
		Global estimate of error (official error and customer error combined)
		
			  Monetary value (£ billion) 
		
		
			 From April 1997-March 1998 through to  April 2002-March 2003 1 
			 April 2003-March 2004 1.5 
		
	
	Notes:
	All figures rounded to the nearest £500 million.
	The methodology used for estimating this was changed in 2004–05 to improve the quality of the estimate. We have also estimated fraud and error in 2003–04 using this new methodology for the purposes of making comparisons. The estimates for official error for 2003–04 and 2004–05 are in the table.
	
		Global estimates of official error 2003–04 and 2004–05
		
			  Official error 2003–04 Official error 2004–05 
			  £ million Percentage £ million Percentage 
		
		
			 Regularly reviewed 
			 Income Support 190 1.8 210 2.1 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 100 3.8 80 3.5 
			 Pension Credit 100 2.1 130 2.2 
			 Housing Benefit(16) 150 1.3 140 1.1 
			  
			 Periodically reviewed 
			 Disability Living Allowance(17) 60 0.7 60 0.7 
			 Retirement Pension(18) 20 0.1 30 0.1 
			 Carer's Allowance 10 0.6 10 0.6 
			 Incapacity Benefit(18) 50 0.8 50 0.8 
			 Instrument of Payment fraud — — —  
			 Interdependences(19) 10 — 10 — 
			  
			 Unreviewed 
			 Un reviewed (excluding Council Tax Benefit)(20) 100 0.9 100 0.9 
			 Council Tax Benefit(21) 40 1.3 40 1.1 
			 Total(17)(22) £0.8 billion 0.8 £0.9 billion 0.8 
		
	
	(16) Individual estimates have been uprated in line with 2004–05 expenditure and may differ from published values.
	(17) Figures expressed as percentages (percentage) give the overpayments as a percentage of the benefit paid out in the year.
	(18) The housing benefit estimates in this table include approximations for the purposes of producing an overall fraud and error figure. The estimates in the table will therefore be different from those published previously as National Statistics.
	(19) The 2004–05 DLA National Benefit Review identified cases where the change in customer's needs have been so gradual that it would be unreasonable to expect them to know at which point their entitlement to DLA might have changed. These cases do not result in a recoverable overpayment as we cannot quantify or define when the customer's change occurred. Because legislation requires the Secretary of State to prove that entitlement to DLA is incorrect, rather than requiring the customer to inform us that their needs have changed, cases in this subcategory are legally correct. The difference between what claimants in these cases are receiving in DLA and related premiums in other benefits and what they would receive if their benefit was reassessed is estimated to be around £0.7 billion (+/- £0.2 billion). This figure is not included in the total above, but a similar figure was included in the global fraud and error figure of £3 billion reported in the resource account for 2003–04.
	(20) Official error rates have been updated with estimates from the 2003–04 measurement exercise.
	(21) Overpayments due to knock-on effects between loss of DLA component entitlement and premiums on income-related benefits.
	(22) The estimated rate of fraud and error on unreviewed benefits, for which we have no reliable review information, has been set at 2.7 per cent. and divided equally among fraud, customer error and official error.
	Notes:
	1. Fraud and error on CTB has not been measured before and is assumed here to be equal to fraud and error rates on HB.
	2. Although quoted to the nearest £0.1 billion, there are considerable uncertainties around the total estimates (95 per cent. confidence intervals of between ±£0.2 billion and ±£0.3 billion).
	3. Individual figures may not add across to total fraud and error figures due to rounding.
	The Department publishes National Statistics reports including estimates of overpayments through official error. Estimates for income support (IS), jobseeker's allowance (JSA), pension credit and housing benefit (HB) are published every year so these are the benefits where we have most information on changes over time. These figures are presented in the tables.
	
		IS/JSA/pension credit official error over payments from National Statistics reports
		
			  IS (not including pensioners) JSA IS for pensioners/pension credit 
		
		
			 October 1997-September 1998
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.6 4.2 1.6 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 130 150 60 
			 
			 April 1998-March 1999
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.6 5.6 1.3 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 130 200 50 
			 
			 April 1999-March 2000
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.5 4.0 1.5 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 130 130 60 
			 April 2000-March 2001
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.3 2.8 1.2 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 120 80 50 
			 
			 April 2001-March 2002
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.3 3.5 0.8 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 130 90 40 
			 
			 April 2002-March 2003
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.4 4.2 1.0 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 140 110 50 
			 
			 April 2003-March 2004
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.8 3.8 2.1 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 190 100 100 
			 
			 October 2003-September 2004
			 Latest published estimates percentage of benefit overpaid 2.1 3.5 2.2 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 220 80 120 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures for April 2003-March 2004 and October 2003-September 2004 in the above table have been adjusted for data quality problems found. Previous figures have not been adjusted in this way as there is not enough information available to do so. The tables therefore are not all suitable for making reliable comparisons over time but give a reference of our best estimate of these overpayment figures in each year. Confidence intervals are not provided in these tables although are typically around ±20–30 per cent. of the central estimates.
	
		Housing benefit (HB) official error overpayments from National Statistics reports
		
			  Percentage of benefit overpaid Overpaid (£ million) 
		
		
			 April 2002-March 2003 0.9 100 
			 April 2003-March2004 1.0 100 
			 October 2003-September 2004(23) 0.9 90 
			 April 2002-March 2003 0.9 — 
		
	
	(23) Latest published estimates
	Notes:
	1. These figures will not include all overpayments in HB through official error. They were published in the latest National Statistics report for HB fraud and error, and only cover the 85 per cent. of HB expenditure that is within the scope of the HBR sample. In these reports, there was an extra category of error labelled "non-residence" error, an unknown amount of which will be due to mistakes made by officials—these overpayments are not included in the figures in this table.
	2. The Second National Housing Benefit Accuracy Review, in 1997–98 gave an estimate of £60 million for official error, but was based on a different methodology, so the results are not considered comparable with more recent estimates.
	The Department also publishes one-off snapshot reviews. The most recent report covered disability living allowance (DLA) and the official error figures from these are in the table.
	
		2004–05 DLA official error overpayments from National Statistics report
		
			  Amount of money overpaid (£ million) Percentage benefit overpaid 
		
		
			 Official error 60 0.8 
		
	
	Annual estimates of official error only are made for short-term benefit overpayments (incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance). The recent results are shown in the following table. Previous results were carried out using a different methodology and are not comparable.
	
		Short-term benefits (incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance) official error overpayments
		
			  Monetary value (£ million) 
		
		
			 April 2001 to March 2002 43 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 43 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 53 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 (24)104 
		
	
	1. These estimates are subject to wide margins of error. Our best estimate of STB overpayments for 2004–05 includes a further amount of around £20 million due to incorrectness types not captured under methodology in earlier years.
	Annual estimates of official error only are made for long-term benefit overpayments (retirement pension, widow's benefit and bereavement benefit). The recent results are shown in the following table:
	
		Long-term benefits official error overpayments
		
			  Monetary value (£ million) 
		
		
			 April 2001 to March 2002 43 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 14 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 26 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 27 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The sample for long-term benefits is a small one and excludes some types of cases. It provides reassurance that official error on these benefits is a very low proportion of expenditure, but the estimate is only a broad indicator.
	2. As a result of the wide margins of error, the changes over time are not statistically significant.

Benefits Office Closures

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to process (a) crisis loans, (b) budgeting loans and (c) community care loans in (i) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (ii) Denbighshire was in (A) each of the six months prior to closure of the Rhyl Benefits Office and (B) each month since.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 December 2005
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 9 January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question concerning the average time taken to process (a) crisis loans (b) budgeting loans and (c) community care loans in (i) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (ii) Denbighshire was in (a) each of the six months prior to closure of the Rhyl Benefits Office and (b) each month since. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus does not keep statistical information about social fund applications broken down to the Vale of Clwyd constituency or the county of Denbigshire. However, I have detailed social fund performance for our Wrexham and North Wales coast district, which covers both these areas and others.
	
		
			  Crisis loans Budgeting loans Community care grants 
			  Applications received Average clearance times (days) Applications received Average clearance times (days) Applications received. Average clearance times (days) 
		
		
			 February 2005 783 1 1,138 2.04 452 3.55 
			 March 2005 803 1 1,180 1.89 435 3.13 
			 April 2005 879 1.02 1,372 1.89 484 3.03 
			 May 2005 749 1 1,239 1.89 466 3.22 
			 June 2005 832 1 1,284 1.99 506 3.47 
			 July 2005 757 1.03 1,122 2.53 424 3.41 
			 August 2005 687 1.08 1,157 2.48 468 8.99 
			 September 2005 820 1.16 1,152 2.21 417 7.55 
			 October 2005 794 1.23 1,218 1.95 449 8.96 
		
	
	The District Manager is aware of the increase in clearance times for community care grants and is now putting measures in place to improve performance. This involves using additional help from the social fund processing team in Llanelli.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest compliance rate is for Child Support Agency cases; what the target is; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 January 2006
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest compliance rate is for Child Support Agency cases; what the target is; and if he will make a statement.
	The compliance targets and performance rates to September 2005 are presented in the table below.
	
		Agency compliance targets and performance at September 2005 Percentage
		
			   Target Performance at September 
		
		
			 New scheme case compliance 78 66 
			 Old scheme case compliance 75 72 
			 Overall case compliance — 70 
			
			 New scheme cash compliance 75 61 
			 Old scheme cash compliance 68 71 
			 Overall cash compliance — 68 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Case compliance is defined as the percentage of cases open at the end of any quarter for which any maintenance due via the collection service was received.
	2. Cash compliance is defined as the percentage of maintenance due in any quarter which has been collected via the collection service.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Departmental Estate

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who is responsible for running his Department's Estate; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date.

Anne McGuire: The DWP Estate is run through a 20 year PFI partnership deal competitively awarded by the then Department of Social Security to Trillium (now called Land Securities Trillium) on 1 April 1998. Following the creation of DWP in June 2001, the former Employment Service estate was transferred to Land Securities Trillium from 15 December 2003 under an expansion of the contract.
	Officials' responsibility within the Department therefore is to manage this contractual agreement. The officers responsible are :
	The Commercial Director has specialised in procurement and commercial matters in the Public Sector for nearly 20 years and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. Before moving to DWP, he was Head of Procurement for the Inland Revenue and has previously held commercial posts in the Home Office and HM Treasury (Central Unit on Procurement).
	The Director of Estates has been in this role since 2000 and has specialised in estates and commercial matters in the Public Sector for the previous 10 years previously occupied Estate Management roles since 1991. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and the British Institute of Facilities Management.
	Their details are also provided in the Civil Service Yearbook—the official online directory for all Government Departments.

Departmental Posts

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the change in the number of jobs in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies was in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05, broken down by business area; what change is planned for (A) 2005–06 and (B) 2006–07; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The change in the number of staff in the Department and its agencies between 2003–04 and 2004–05 is shown in Table 1. The baseline for the Department's agreed efficiency challenge is 1 March 2004 at which time overall staffing was 130,632.
	The change in planned staff numbers in the Department and its agencies for 2005–06 and 2006–07 is shown in Table 2.
	
		Table 1: Change in staff numbers 31 March 2004 to 31 March 2005
		
			  31 March 2004 31 March 2005 Reduction in numbers 
		
		
			 Jobcentre Plus 79,122 73,406 5,716 
			 The Pension Service 18,567 16,189 2,378 
			 Child Support Agency 10,779 9,784 995 
			 Disability and Carers Service 7,103 6,506 597 
			 Appeals Service 816 752 64 
			 The Rent Service  718 n/a 
			 Other Departmental Units 12,068 11,874 194 
			 Total 128,455 119,229 9,226 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are full time equivalents and exclude staff on paid maternity leave.
	2. The Rent Service joined the Department from 1 April 2004 from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	3. Disability and Carers Service was granted Agency status from 1 November 2004.
	4. Figures exclude the Health and Safety Executive.
	
		Table 2: DWP planned staffing numbers
		
			  31 March 2006 31 March 2007 
		
		
			 Jobcentre Plus 70,200 67,550 
			 The Pension Service 14,200 13,350 
			 Child Support Agency 9,400 9,400 
			 Disability and Carers Service 6,400 5,950 
			 Appeals Service 750 750 
			 The Rent Service 750 650 
			 Corporate HR 1,250 1,200 
			 Group Finance 5,500 5,000 
			 Programme and Systems Delivery 500 450 
			 Other Corporate Services 1,150 1,150 
			 Work, Welfare and Equality Group 1,050 950 
			 Pensions Client Directorate 350 350 
			 DWP Contingency 1,000 1,250 
			 Total DWP 112,500 108,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are full-time equivalents rounded to the nearest 50 and exclude staff on paid maternity leave.
	2. Planned staffing numbers are subject to ongoing review.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rates of employee absence in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: Not all of the information requested is available.
	Information about worker absences other than sickness absences is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	There is no information available about sick absence rates from 1997 to 1998.
	The information for the period from 1999 to 2003–04 has been published in NAO Report HC 18 on 8 December 04 (Page 17 Figure 6).
	The remaining information requested is as follows:
	
		Department for Work and Pensions
		
			  Sickness rate 
			  Average working days lost Percentage working time lost 
		
		
			 2004–05 12.4 5.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The average working days lost figure is calculated by dividing the working days lost in the Department for the year in question by the working days available for the same period, then multiplying by 250 (the working year: 365 days less weekends and public/privilege days).
	2. The percentage working time lost figure is calculated as in note 1, but the multiplier is 100 instead of 250.
	Source:
	Extracts from DWP payroll systems as processed by the DWP Information Directorate.

Departmental Staff

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what voluntary severance schemes are in place in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 25 October 2005
	The voluntary release schemes currently being run within the Department and its agencies are shown in the following tables. Table 1 illustrates the number of schemes operating in each Government Office Region. Table 2 illustrates the agencies and departmental directorates participating in schemes in each Government Office Region.
	
		Table 1
		
			 Region/country Number of schemes 
		
		
			 Wales 3 
			 South East 3 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 4 
			 North East 3 
			 London 4 
			 East Midlands 1 
			 East of England 1 
			 West Midlands 1 
			 South West 1 
			 Scotland 1 
			 North West 1 
		
	
	
		Table 2
		
			 Region/country Agency/departmental directorate included 
		
		
			 Wales Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service 
			 South East Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service; Departmental Directorates 
			 North East Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service; Departmental Directorates 
			 London Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service; Disability and Carers Service; Appeals Service; Departmental Directorates 
			 East Midlands Jobcentre Plus 
			 East of England Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service; Departmental Directorates 
			 West Midlands Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service; Departmental Directorates 
			 South West Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service; Departmental Directorates 
			 Scotland Jobcentre Plus; The Pension Service; Departmental Directorates 
			 North West Jobcentre Plus 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Voluntary release schemes are managed on a regional basis. Each scheme may cover all or some staff in an agency/ departmental directorate at all or a limited number of sites within the region.
	2. Voluntary release schemes include voluntary severance and voluntary early retirement.
	3. All schemes are governed by the rules of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in which there are a number of different types of scheme. More that one type of scheme can be run concurrently within a region.

Incapacity Benefit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in (a) Wakefield and (b) Hemsworth constituency (i) left and (ii) joined the register of persons in receipt of incapacity benefit in the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) commencements in the Wakefield metropolitan district council area and the Hemsworth parliamentary constituency in each year since 1996
		
			 Year ending 31 May: Great Britain Wakefield Hemsworth 
		
		
			 1996 1,019,900 8,300 2,400 
			 1997 998,700 8,700 2,400 
			 1998 905,000 8,600 2,900 
			 1999 837,300 6,800 2,500 
			 2000 801,100 7,200 2,300 
			 2001 788,700 6,400 1,800 
			 2002 731,100 6,400 2,400 
			 2003 722,400 6,200 1,800 
			 2004 695,300 5,700 1,800 
			 2005 624,400 5,800 2,000 
		
	
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) terminations in the Wakefield metropolitan district council area and the Hemsworth parliamentary constituency in each year since 1996
		
			 Year ending 31 May: Great Britain Wakefield Hemsworth 
		
		
			 1996 1,060,500 8,900 2,900 
			 1997 987,000 9,000 3,200 
			 1998 955,600 8,800 2,800 
			 1999 866,200 7,200 2,700 
			 2000 837,900 8,000 2,600 
			 2001 725,800 5,800 1,800 
			 2002 720,200 6,400 2,200 
			 2003 698,200 6,000 1,900 
			 2004 717,400 6,400 1,900 
			 2005 665,100 6,400 2,300 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. These figures have been updated to include late notified commencements/terminations.
	3. All figures back to 1995 have been revised, and may be subject to further change:
	a. Figures prior to 2005 are subject to minor changes.
	b. Figures for 2004 include fewer late notifications than previous quarters and will be subject to greater change in future.
	c. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples.

Incapacity Benefit

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people living in the Normanton constituency claimed incapacity benefit in each year since 1997,
	(2)  what proportion of the working age population in the Normanton constituency claimed incapacity benefit in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information necessary to determine the proportion of the working age population claiming incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance is not available, because population estimates are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the Normanton parliamentary constituency: May 1997 to 2005
		
			  Number of claimants 
		
		
			 May 1997 3,900 
			 May 1998 3,700 
			 May 1999 3,800 
			 May 2000 3,900 
			 May 2001 4,000 
			 May 2002 4,000 
			 May 2003 3,900 
			 May 2004 4,000 
			 May 2005 3,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. 'Claimant' figures include all IB/SDA claimants (including IB credits only cases).
	3. May 1997, 1998 and 1999 have been adjusted by applying detail from 5 per cent. data to 100 per cent. totals.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data. Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample May 1997, 1998, 1999.

Incapacity Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the types of mental health problems experienced by incapacity benefit claimants who have been claiming for (a) less than a year and (b) more than a year.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Types of mental or behavioural disorders experienced by incapacity benefit claimants who were claiming at 30 June 2005
		
			 Mental or behavioural disorder type Claiming for greater than one year Claiming for a year or less Total 
		
		
			 Depressive episode 377,250 88,540 465,790 
			 Other anxiety disorders 91,580 19,930 111,510 
			 Other neurotic disorders 71,510 7,300 78,810 
			 Reaction to severe stress 35,380 16,760 52,140 
			 Drug abuse 33,220 13,200 46,420 
			 Alcoholism 37,200 8,550 45,750 
			 Schizophrenia 36,180 2,450 38,640 
			 Mental disorder not otherwise specified 19,420 3,960 23,370 
			 Unspecified nonorganic psychosis 12,420 1,590 14,010 
			 Specific development disorders of scholastic skills 10,070 1,980 12,050 
			 Phobic anxiety disorders 7,540 790 8,340 
			 Unspecified mental retardation 6,410 140 6,550 
			 Unspecified mood disorder 4,150 740 4,890 
			 M&B disorders associated with puerperium, not elsewhere classified 3,030 910 3,940 
			 Specific personality disorders 2,330 370 2,700 
			 Persistent delusional disorder 1,810 410 2,220 
			 Persistent mood disorder 2,040 50 2,090 
			 Eating disorder 1,180 280 1,470 
			 Manic episode 910 80 990 
			 Pervasive development disorders 600 270 870 
			 Recurrent depressive disorder 740 90 820 
			 Unspecified dementia 480 100 580 
			 Dissociative disorders 100 20 130 
			 Somatoform disorders 10 0 10 
			 Total 755,570 168,510 924,070 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data is to the end of August 2005.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. The statistics quoted in this response are taken from the Department's 100 per cent. Benefits Database.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people aged over 50 years claimed jobseeker's allowance (JSA) in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05, broken down by region; what percentage in each region (i) remained on JSA, (ii) found work, (iii) moved onto income support and (iv) moved onto incapacity benefit in each year; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people aged over 50 years who claimed jobseeker's allowance (JSA) were eligible for the new deal 50-plus in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05, broken down by region; what percentage in each region (i) remained on JSA, (ii) found work, (iii) moved onto income support and (iv) moved onto incapacity benefit in each year; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged over 50 years participated in new deal 50 plus in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05, broken down by region; what percentage in each year (i) remained on jobseeker's allowance, (ii) found work, (iii) moved onto income support and (iv) moved onto incapacity benefit in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Information is only available on starts to new deal 50 plus from January 2004. Prior to January 2004, new deal 50 plus information is available for those going into work and claiming the new deal 50 plus employment credit.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		New deal 50 plus
		
			  Individual starts of which, percentage who subsequently (to June 2005) moved 
			 Jobcentre Plus region or country between January 2004 and March 2005 claiming JSA at start date Into work Into work and moved onto IS and/or IB Onto IS Onto IB Onto IS and IB Neither into work or onto IB or IS Claiming JSA at end of June 2005 
		
		
			 Scotland 4,200 27 3 1 5 5 58 38 
			 North East 2,010 23 2 1 6 6 61 38 
			 North West 3,010 26 2 1 5 7 59 37 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,420 25 2 1 5 6 62 40 
			 Wales 1,920 25 2 1 6 6 60 36 
			 West Midlands 4,450 23 2 1 6 5 63 36 
			 East Midlands 1,920 23 2 2 5 6 64 40 
			 East of England 3,750 22 1 1 4 5 67 39 
			 South East 3,750 22 1 1 4 6 67 35 
			 London 5,570 21 1 1 3 6 68 49 
			 South West 2,750 27 2 1 4 7 59 32 
			 Total 35,750 24 2 1 5 6 63 39 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information on starts to new deal 50 plus is not available prior to January 2004 and has been amalgamated for the 15 month period January 2004 to March 2005.
	2. Information for percentages of people from this group still claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) is given to June 2005 as this is the latest benefit information available and gives a more accurate reflection of people still claiming JSA.
	3. Information is only for those who were claiming JSA when they started new deal 50 plus. It is possible to join new deal 50 plus and not be claiming JSA.
	4. Percentage moving into work consists of people recorded as gaining a job through new deal 50 plus and may include people claiming a benefit other than income support or incapacity benefit.
	5. Percentage moving into work and onto income support and /or incapacity benefit consists of people who are recorded as gaining a job through new deal 50 plus who are also recorded as having a new claim for income support or incapacity benefit after starting the programme. The income support/incapacity benefit claim may have occurred before, during, or after their job.
	6. People recorded as not going into work or claiming income support or incapacity benefit could still be participating on new deal 50 plus.
	7. The percentage claiming JSA at the end of June 2005 may include people who also went into work or claimed income support or incapacity benefit between joining the programme and June 2005.
	8. Jobs figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	9. Individual percentages may not sum exactly to 100 per cent. due to rounding.
	10. JSA (jobseeker's allowance); IS (income support); IB (incapacity benefit).
	Source:
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and New Deal Evaluation Database

Jobseeker's Allowance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current average time taken is for jobseeker's allowance claimants (a) to be called in for interview and (b) thereafter to receive their first benefit.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 9 January 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what the current average time taken is for jobseeker's allowance claimants to be called for interview and thereafter receive their first benefit. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as chief executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	To make a claim to jobseeker's allowance, the customer calls a contact centre where they answer a series of questions to assess their potential eligibility. Contact centre staff then arrange to call the customer back to complete a claim form, which is sent to the customer to check and sign. They also arrange a work focused interview at the customer's local Jobcentre Plus office.
	Currently Jobcentre Plus measures the average time it takes to complete the whole process and collates statistics on the time it takes for the contact centre to call the customer back after initial contact.
	Information about the average number of days a customer waits for a call-back across the entire contact centre network can be found in the table below. This data is only available from August and is recorded as actual days.
	
		
			  2005 Average number of days call-back wait time 
		
		
			 Week commencing:  
			 15 August 4.2 
			 22 August 4.2 
			 29 August 4.2 
			 5 September 5.0 
			 12 September 5.2 
			 19 September 4.8 
			 26 September 4.8 
			 3 October 4.8 
			 10 October 4.4 
			 17 October 3.3 
			 24 October 3.1 
			 31 October 2.3 
			 7 November 2.4 
			 14 November 1.6 
		
	
	In answer to the second part of your question, the following table contains the actual average clearance times for jobseeker's allowance from May to October this year.
	
		
			  2005 Actual average clearance times JSA 
		
		
			 May 12.9 
			 June 13.1 
			 July 13.5 
			 August 14.1 
			 September 14.7 
			 October 15.4 
			 Year to date 13.7 
		
	
	We have put in place a robust set of improvement actions to improve this situation.
	I hope this is helpful.

New Deal

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been allocated to the full-time education and training option under the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds in England in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05, (c) 2005–06, (d) 2006–07 and (e) 2007–08.

Margaret Hodge: The available information is in the table.
	
		Expenditure in England on the New Deal for Young People Full-Time Education and Training Option £ million
		
			  Outturn 
		
		
			 2003–04 25 
			 2004–05 32 
			 2005–06(24) 31 
		
	
	(24) Forecast.
	Notes:
	1. Allocations for the 2006–07 and 2007–08 financial years are not yet available.
	2. Figures exclude administrative expenditure and allowances payments to participants.
	3. Figures are rounded to nearest million.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Financial Strategy Division

New Deal

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Gravesham constituency who attained sustained employment through a new deal programme have since re-started on a new deal programme.

Margaret Hodge: Up to the end of May 2005, 1,500 people had gained a sustained job through the new deal programme in Gravesham. Of these, 390 people had returned to a new deal programme to the end of August 2005.
	Notes:
	1. Information is not available at constituency level for new deal for disabled people. 2. A measure of job sustainability is not available for new deal 50 plus and new deal for partners. 3. Figures provided are for new deal for young people, new deal 25 plus and new deal for lone parents. Jobs information for these programmes is available to May 2005; starts information is available up to August 2005. 4. For the purposes of new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus, employment is defined as sustained if the person has not returned to claim jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks of leaving new deal. 5. For the purposes of new deal for lone parents (NDLP), employment is defined as sustained if an NDLP participant has remained in employment for 13 weeks, as measured by the Work and Pensions longitudinal study. 6. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate

New Registrations (Slough)

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of residents in Slough issued with new national insurance numbers in each of the last five years for which data are available;
	(2)  how many people from new EU member states countries have registered in Slough for new national insurance numbers in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: Information as to how many residents of Slough were issued with new national insurance numbers is not available. Information regarding the number of applications for national insurance numbers administered in Slough is in the table.
	
		Applications for national insurance numbers administered in Slough
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 September 2002 to March 2003 2,651 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 5,127 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 5,388 
			 April 2005 to November 2005 5,203 
		
	
	The available information regarding the number of national insurance numbers issued in Slough to people from the new EU Accession states is in the table.
	
		National insurance numbers issued in Slough to people from EU Accession states
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 October 2004 to March 2005 362 
			 April 2005 to November 2005 1,986 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The new EU Accession states entered the EU from May 2004.
	2. Figures on the number of national insurance numbers issued to people from EU Accession states are only available from October 2004.

Obesity

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the total expenditure on disability pensions was accounted for by people suffering from obesity in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how much was spent on disability pensions for people suffering from obesity in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: Information is only available on those claiming incapacity benefits whose primary diagnosis is obesity. The available information is in the tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB), severe disablement allowance (SDA) and income support with a disability premium (ISDP); working-age expenditure on people suffering from obesity £ million real terms
		
			  Obesity—IB/SDA/ISDP expenditure Total—IB/SDA and ISDP expenditure Obesity as a percentage of IB/SDA/IS DP expenditure 
		
		
			 2000–01 8 13,184 0.06 
			 2001–02 8 13,289 0.06 
			 2002–03 8 12,789 0.06 
			 2003–04 8 12,421 0.07 
			 2004–05 8 12,554 0.07 
		
	
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB), severe disablement allowance (SDA) and income support with a disability premium (ISDP); working-age expenditure on people suffering from obesity £ million nominal terms
		
			  Obesity—IB/SDA/ISDP expenditure Total—IB/SDA and ISDP expenditure Obesity as a percentage of IB/SDA/IS DP expenditure 
		
		
			 2000–01 7 11,566 0.06 
			 2001–02 7 11,955 0.06 
			 2002–03 8 11,899 0.06 
			 2003–04 8 11,883 0.07 
			 2004–05 8 12,247 0.07 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are consistent with the historical out-turn expenditure figures published in the DWP's benefit expenditure which can be found on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp
	2. Expenditure has been apportioned using data on conditions of IB and SDA recipients from the IB 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
	3. Expenditure refers to the total expenditure from IB, SDA and ISDP for those in receipt of IB or SDA.
	4. Diagnoses are coded in accordance with the International Classification of Disease 10th edition, published by the World Health Organisation.
	5. Figures are rounded to the nearest million pounds.
	6. Figures are of working-age claimants only.
	7. Real term figures are in 2005–06 prices.
	8. Figures for 2004–05 are estimated out-turn.
	Source:
	DWP Cross Cutting Strategy and Analysis Directorate, DWP information Directorate.

Pension Credit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of UK pensioners (a) entitled to pension credit and (b) receiving pension credit in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Latest estimates of the number of pensioners in Great Britain entitled to pension credit are due to be published in early 2006 in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2003/2004". Copies of the report will be available from the Library.
	The number of pension credit recipients as at September 2005 is in the following tables.
	
		Number of households receiving pension credit by pension credit type and GOR as at September 2005
		
			  Total claimants Guarantee credit (GC) only Savings credit (SC) only GC & SC 
		
		
			 All GB 2,711,000 775,900 611,400 1,323,800 
			  
			 North East 158,200 36,800 40,000 81,300 
			 North West 358,400 99,900 76,100 182,500 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 261,400 66,700 65,000 129,700 
			 East Midlands 195,500 49,900 49,100 96,400 
			 West Midlands 279,500 76,100 62,300 141,200 
			 East of England 223,100 54,600 55,400 113,100 
			 London 289,100 146,400 43,400 99,300 
			 South East 280,200 76,100 69,200 134,900 
			 South West 223,600 54,800 53,500 115,400 
			 Wales 160,400 41,200 33,900 85,300 
			 Scotland 281,600 73,400 63,500 144,700 
		
	
	
		Number of individuals receiving pension credit by GOR as at September 2005
		
			  Total individual beneficiaries Couple with female claimant Single females Couple with male claimant Single males 
		
		
			 All GB 3,299,100 125,500 1,589,000 462,500 533,900 
			   
			 North East 194,200 7,900 91,100 28,200 31,000 
			 North West 433,500 16,600 209,400 58,500 74,000 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 321,100 12,800 152,400 46,900 49,300 
			 East Midlands 241,100 10,000 114,300 35,700 35,500 
			 West Midlands 345,500 13,400 159,100 52,600 54,400 
			 East of England 274,000 10,700 132,700 40,200 39,600 
			 London 344,100 8,800 165,900 46,200 68,100 
			 South East 336,200 12,200 172,500 43,800 51,800 
			 South West 273,500 10,800 132,400 39,100 41,400 
			 Wales 197,900 8,300 92,500 29,300 30,300 
			  337,900 14,100 166,900 42,200 58,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The preferred data source for figures supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions is the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study, for which the latest published data is May 2005. The figures provided are those published in the Pension Credit Quarterly Progress Report, which provides an early estimate of caseload, these figures are our latest estimates.
	2. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 100 and expressed in thousands. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Pension Credit (PC) replaced Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. Existing MIG recipients were automatically converted onto Pension Credit on that date (assuming they still met the eligibility criteria).
	4. Data from the Generalised Matching Service (GMS) 100 percent scan taken on 16 September 2005. The figures have been rated up to give month-end estimates.
	5. These figures are early estimates. Operational processing times mean that a number of claim commencements and terminations are not reflected in the figures. The final figures incorporated within the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) will take account of such cases.
	6. Couples may contain a number of partners who are less than the age of 60.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 100 per cent. data.

Pension Protection Fund

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what meetings he has had with the Board of the Pension Protection Fund.

Stephen Timms: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Mr. Hutton) met with the chair on 22 November 2005.
	I met with members of the Board of the Pensions Protection Fund on 25 May 2005 and 12 December 2005, with the chief executive on 2 June 2005 and the chair on 15 November 2005

Pensioners

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and percentage of pensioners in each county of the UK who had no private income in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The following tables show the percentage and number of pensioners with no private income in each of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. The data are from the 2003–04 Family Resources Survey. Because the data are from a sample survey the results are subject to a degree of uncertainty.
	
		(a) Percentage of pensioners with no private income
		
			  Pensioner couples Single pensioners All pensioner units 
		
		
			 Northern Ireland 20 42 33 
			 Wales 11 24 19 
			 Scotland 12 22 18 
			 England 6 18 13 
			 United Kingdom 7 19 15 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Private income is defined as income from occupational and personal pensions, investment income, earnings, and 'other' income. The definition is consistent with that used in table 7 of the Pensioners' Income Series. 2. Pensioner couples are couples where the man is over State Pension Age—the table shows the percentage and number of pensioner couples without some form of private income. Pensioner units are either single pensioners or pensioner couples.
	
		(b) Number of pensioner couples and single pensioners with no private income
		
			  Pensioner couples Single pensioners All pensioner units 
		
		
			 Northern Ireland 10,000 40,000 60,000 
			 Wales 20,000 60,000 70,000 
			 Scotland 30,000 90,000 120,000 
			 England 150,000 660,000 810,000 
			 United Kingdom 210,000 850,000 1,050,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10,000. The number of single pensioners and pensioner couples may not equal the total number of pensioner units due to rounding.
	2. Pensioner couples are couples where the man is over State Pension Age—the table shows the percentage and number of pensioner couples without some form of private income. Pensioner units are either single pensioners or pensioner couples.

Pensioners

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) single women, (b) single men and (c) couples aged (i) 60 to 64, (ii) 65 to 69, (iii) 70 to 74 and (iv) 75 years or over receive less than a full basic state pension by up to (A) 50p, (B) £1, (C) £5, (D) £10, (E) £20 and (F) £30 per week.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Rate of basic pension 
			  Less than £50 £50.00 to £59.99 £60.00 to £60.99 £70 to £70.99 Full basic pension 
			  Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % 
		
		
			 Men   
			 Aged 65–69 25,700 2.1 28,500 2.3 45,200 3.7 94,100 7.7 1,030,300 84.2 
			 Aged 70–74 22,100 2.1 20,000 1.9 32,000 3.1 56,100 5.4 914,300 87.5 
			 Aged 75+ 17,200 1.0 16,200 1.0 21,900 1.3 39,800 2.4 1,553,900 94.2 
			 Women   
			 Aged 60–64 543,600 40.9 161,000 12.1 139,200 10.5 126,900 9.5 358,100 26.9 
			 Aged 65–69 680,500 52.2 95,900 7.4 62,900 4.8 65,900 5.1 397,200 30.5 
			 Aged 70–74 577,400 48.9 42,000 3.6 30,900 2.6 36,400 3.1 494,400 41.9 
			 Aged 75+ 668,900 24.9 35,200 1.3 32,100 1.2 47,500 1.8 1,903,800 70.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data is taken from 5 per cent. extract of PSCS as at 31 March 2005, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling. The cases are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the WPLS.
	2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100 and are for Great Britain only.
	3. A full basic Category A state pension was £79.60 per week for 2004–05.
	4. The figures are for men and women getting either a Category A pension or a Category B pension based on their own or their spouse's or late or former spouse's National Insurance contribution record—it is not possible to identify recipients by marital status.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate five per cent. Sample—GB figures.

Pensioners

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's estimate is of the amount paid in rent rebate to pensioners in 2004–05.

James Plaskitt: An estimated £2,242 million was paid in housing benefit rent rebate to pensioners in 2004–05.
	Note:
	This figure is rounded to the nearest million and is consistent with the pre-Budget report 2005. The estimate is based on local authority subsidy returns, combined with local authority-supplied statistical data in order to estimate how much is paid to pensioners. Estimates include both rent rebate reimbursed to local authorities by DWP, and that which is met from local authorities' own funds.
	Source:
	DWP Expenditure Tables.

Public Relations

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in 2004–05 in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The DWP conducts regular research to monitor customers and the public views of our services.
	During the last 12 months the cost for these pieces of work has been £86,000.00.
	(b) The DWP has awarded two public relations contracts during the last 12 months.
	For the Age Positive campaign the cost has been £420,000.00. (England £252,00.00, Scotland £84,000.00 and Wales £84,000.00). The cost for the Disability Discrimination Act campaign was £140,000.00.

Tax Credits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria were used to select pilot areas for the pilot work search premium scheme for working tax credit partners; what the take-up to date has been; what the duration of the scheme is expected to be; what the cost of the scheme is; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The work search premium for working tax credit partners (WSP/WTCP) was introduced on the 31 October 2005. It will be piloted for two years in 31 wards in eight Jobcentre Plus districts: Birmingham, Blackburn, Bradford, Leicester, London City and East, London North East, London South and Luton.
	The purpose of the pilot is to test whether paying a £20 weekly payment for up to 26 weeks will increase job entries for partners of people claiming WTC who would otherwise have remained unemployed.
	The pilot areas were chosen carefully with the aim of finding a high proportion of people of working age who are not in employment and not claiming benefits.
	The exact criteria were that pilot locations should have an unemployment rate of one and a half times the International Labour Organisation rate of unemployment, and one and a half times the national average of people not claiming benefit or working. In addition, in each ward, the number of people not in employment and not claiming benefit should be greater than 2,500 people.
	The total estimated costs for this pilot are in the table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Estimated cost for pilot 
		
		
			 2005–06 0.86 
			 2006–07 1.65 
			 2007–08 1.03 
			 Total 3.54 
		
	
	It is anticipated that around 6,000 people will benefit from the WSP/WTCP over the two years that the pilot is in operation. However, as it was only introduced at the end of October, statistical data will not be available until the end of December.

Winter Fuel Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received winter fuel payments in each ward in the Vale of Clwyd in 2004–05.

Stephen Timms: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			 Ward Winter fuel payment recipients 
		
		
			 Bodelwyddan 375 
			 Denbigh Central 345 
			 Denbigh Lower 965 
			 Denbigh Upper/ Henllan 590 
			 Dyserth 520 
			 Llandyrnog 480 
			 Prestatyn Central 940 
			 Prestatyn East 985 
			 Prestatyn Meliden 490 
			 Prestatyn North 1,820 
			 Prestatyn South West 1,025 
			 Rhuddlan 1,125 
			 Rhyl East 1,555 
			 Rhyl South 1,160 
			 Rhyl South East 1,455 
			 Rhyl South West 855 
			 Rhyl West 665 
			 St. Asaph East 460 
			 St. Asaph West 385 
			 Trefnant 550 
			 Tremeirchion 350 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All wards based on census wards—those current as at April 2003.
	2. All wards nest within Vale of Clwyd parliamentary constituency except Llandyrnog ward which is also partly within Clwyd West parliamentary constituency.
	3. All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of five.
	Source:
	Information Directorate

"Your Health, Your Care, Your Say"

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will respond to the consultation "Your Health, Your Care, Your Say".

Liam Byrne: Early in 2006.

Agency Staff

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of agency (a) nurses and (b) doctors in Torbay primary care trust has been since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The Department collects primary care trust expenditure information on non-national health service staff. The table shows the total expenditure of agency nurses and doctors by Torbay primary care trust (PCT) for the period 2000–01 to 2004–05. This is the earliest data available as Torbay PCT only came into existence in 2000.
	
		
			   £ 
			  Cost of non-NHS nurses Cost of non-NHS doctors 
		
		
			 2000–01 0 0 
			 2001–02 0 0 
			 2002–03 43,601 0 
			 2003–04 70,887 0 
			 2004–05 89,000 14,000 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual financial returns of Torbay primary care trust

Ambulance Response Times

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the target is for ambulance response times in Torbay; and what percentage of call-outs have met these targets since 1997.

Caroline Flint: Ambulance response times are set nationally. They are:
	Category A which presents conditions which may be immediately life threatening and which should be responded to within eight minutes irrespective of location in 75 per cent. of cases. A fully equipped ambulance should attend incidents classified as category A within 14 to 19 minutes of the initial call, 95 per cent. of the time, unless the control room decides that an ambulance is not required.
	Category B which presents conditions which though serious are not immediately life threatening and should be responded to within 14 minutes (urban) and 19 minutes (rural) in 95 per cent. of cases.
	Ambulance services are required to take patients to hospital where the need is identified by a doctor as urgent and these patients should arrive at hospital within 15 minutes of the arrival time specified by the doctor in 95 per cent. of cases.
	For category C calls, this presents conditions which are not immediately life threatening or serious—local national health service organisations have had responsibility for managing and monitoring the ways in which local services respond to these calls, since 1 October 2004.
	The ambulance review, "Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services" was published in June 2005. The review sets out recommendations which include supporting performance improvement and changes to performance requirements. The report is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/42/70/04114270.pdf.
	The percentage of call outs which have met these targets in Torbay is not collected centrally. The data which the Department does collect on ambulance response times is published in the statistical bulletin, "Ambulance services, England: 2004–05". This is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/36/79/04113679.pdf.

Ambulance Trusts

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS consultation document on the reorganisation of ambulance trusts will be issued; when the consultation will (a) start and (b) finish; and whether ambulance trusts will have an input into the drafting of the consultation document.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 December 2005
	In accordance with the written ministerial statement of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 152–53WS, consultation on the proposed reconfiguration of ambulance trusts began on 14 December 2005 and will finish on 22 March 2006. Strategic health authorities were asked to comment on a draft of the consultation document, and key stakeholders, including ambulance trusts, were involved in the preparation of "Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services", which made the original recommendation for fewer larger trusts.

Birth Costs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of (a) a home birth, (b) an out of hospital birth and (c) a hospital birth in each NHS trust providing maternity care in 2004–05; and what assessment she has made of the reference cost for each category of birth.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 December 2005
	The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Reference cost data is collected against three specific health care resource groups: normal delivery with or without complications or co-morbidities, assisted delivery with or without complications or co-morbidities and caesarean section with or without complications or co-morbidities.
	Reference cost data is assessed annually and it is anticipated that 2004–05 data will be available in the new year.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership Trust

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the policy of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership Trust in relation to direct contact between members of its staff and the media on matters of public concern; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 15 December 2005
	The responsibility for the management of local services lies with the local national health service. It is for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust to plan and develop its own internal and external policies and services to meet the needs of the local population.

Cancelled Operations

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had their operation cancelled (a) twice, (b) three times, (c) four times and (d) more than four times in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, data on the number of cancelled operations is available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data_ requests/cancelled_operations.htm

Children's Hospices

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is for the future support of the respite and terminal care of children with life-limiting illnesses.

Liam Byrne: Primary care trusts (PCTs), working with their local authority partners and stakeholders, remain best placed to decide the level and range of palliative care needed by the children and young people in their locality and are able to respond directly to their needs. We have made a manifesto pledge to increase funding for end of life care and this includes care for children and young people. We will make further announcements on this funding in the near future.
	In our guide "Commissioning Children's and Young People's Palliative Care Services", launched on 29 November, we give commissioners important advice about the key aspects of children's palliative care which will improve the quality of commissioning and provision of services. This practical guide will stimulate improvements in commissioning and promote quality care for children young people and their families in a range of settings, for example, palliative care at home, in hospital or in a hospice.
	On 19 October 2005, we announced the setting up of a review of National Health Service Specialised Services. The review, headed by Scotland's former Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir David Carter, will investigate how the NHS currently commissions specialised services and consider ways of tightening these commissioning arrangements so that there is greater consistency across the NHS.
	The review will also look at ways of ensuring PCTs work together to commission specialised services so that the financial risk is shared. It will consider whether the balance is right between PCT commissioning collaboration and a more national or regional commissioning approach. The review team will report in spring 2006.

Cholesterol

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of adults in England suffers from high cholesterol according to the Joint Society Guidelines.

Caroline Flint: The new Joint British Societies guidelines on prevention of cardiovascular disease in clinical practice were published on 21 December. They recommend that lipid-lowering therapy should be offered to people with:
	clinical evidence of atherosclerotic cardiO vascular disease (CVD);
	diabetes mellitus (type one or two);
	a total CVD risk, greater than 20 per cent. over 10 years;
	elevated blood pressure, greater than 160 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) or greater than 100 mm Hg diastolic, or lesser degrees of blood pressure elevation with target organ damage.
	They recommend that the audit standard for this group should be 5.0mmol/litre or less, and that wherever possible the aim should be to reduce cholesterol to 4.0 mm/litre or less.
	We do not hold the information in the format requested. However, information from hospital episodes statistics (HES) data for people who suffer from high cholesterol is shown in the table. HES does not hold a standard definition of high cholesterol, which will be clinically determined.
	
		All diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes and patients for high cholesterol.National health service hospitals, England 2004–05
		
			 Finished consultant episodes Patient counts 
		
		
			 289,052 195,871 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre
	We estimate, from prescribing data, that approximately 2.5 million people in England are on statin therapy for the control of cholesterol levels. Statin prescriptions have been rising at 30 per cent. per year.

Contraception

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to facilitate access to condoms free-of-charge (a) in NHS institutions and (b) through community-based distribution schemes.

Caroline Flint: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for local sexual health and HIV health promotion including the provision of free condoms. The NHS Logistics Authority purchases condoms centrally for distribution by the national health service, although PCTs also purchase them direct from condom suppliers.
	To support PCTs the Department has produced best practice guidance on sexual health promotion which highlights the need to make condoms accessible to those who need them. The need to ensure people have access to free provision of all methods of contraception, including condoms, is also highlighted in "Recommended Standards for Sexual Health Services", produced by the Department with the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health.

Dentistry

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists per head of population were practising in (a) West Lancashire and (b) England in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS), number of dentists and dentists per population in England and the specified areas as at 30 September each year
		
			  England West Lancashire PCT 
		
		
			 Number of dentists   
			 1997 16,670 41 
			 1998 17,199 46 
			 1999 17,755 44 
			 2000 18,167 45 
			 2001 18,722 49 
			 2002 18,946 47 
			 2003 19,260 52 
			 2004 19,722 55 
			 2005 20,890 58 
			 Dentists per head of population 
			 1997 2,919 2,646 
			 1998 2,839 2,358 
			 1999 2,762 2,465 
			 2000 2,710 2,411 
			 2001 2,641 2,214 
			 2002 2,620 2,313 
			 2003 2,589 2,096 
			 2004 2,540 1,982 
			 2005 2,398 1,879 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The dentists include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts are excluded from the data.
	2. The postcode of the Dental Practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. Primary care trust areas have been defined using the Office of National Statistics All Fields Postcode Directory.
	3. England 2005 data per population has been calculated using 2004 population data, as this is the most up-to-date available.
	4. PCT data per population for 1997 to 2000 has been calculated using 2001 population figures as this is the earliest date at which population data at this area is available.
	5. PCT data per population for 2004 and 2005 have been calculated using 2003 population data, as this is the most up-to-date available at this area.
	6. Data includes all notifications, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 2 November 2005 for England and 19 October 2005 for the PCT. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, e.g. data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have left the NHS in each year since 1997–98 (a) in terms of headcount and (b) as a percentage of the total number of dentists in the NHS (i) in total and (ii) broken down by Strategic Health Authority area.

Rosie Winterton: Details of dentists leaving the national health service, expressed as both a headcount and percentage figure for England (total) and broken down by strategic health authority is shown in the table. A dentist is assumed to have left the NHS if they had an open general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract in September of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.
	The reasons for dentists leaving the NHS are not recorded by Dental Practice Board. The figures presented will include dentists who have retired from practice and those who have moved to private practice.
	
		General Dental Services (GDS) and Personal Dental Services (PDS)Numbers of complete leavers, and as a percentage of total dentists, in England by strategic health authority area as at 30 September each year
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 
			  Complete leavers % of total dentists Complete leavers % of total dentists Complete leavers % of total dentists Complete leavers % of total dentists 
		
		
			 England 972 6 1,037 6 1,206 7 1,207 6 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 50 6 49 5 68 7 67 7 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 34 5 36 5 41 6 36 5 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 31 4 33 5 46 6 38 5 
			 Cheshire & Merseyside 48 5 48 5 41 4 55 6 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 18 5 17 4 27 7 20 5 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 26 4 34 5 56 8 26 4 
			 Dorset and Somerset 18 4 24 5 25 5 34 7 
			 Essex 37 7 35 6 50 8 53 9 
			 Greater Manchester 44 5 51 5 52 6 44 5 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 30 5 37 6 42 6 51 7 
			 Kent and Medway 65 11 56 9 42 7 59 10 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire  and Rutland 20 4 21 4 35 7 33 7 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 45 6 37 5 57 7 42 6 
			 North and East Yorkshire and  Northern Lincolnshire 25 5 26 5 19 3 23 4 
			 North Central London 53 8 47 7 49 7 52 7 
			 North East London 35 6 29 5 38 6 42 7 
			 North West London 54 5 70 6 88 8 76 7 
			 Northumberland, Tyne & Wear 31 6 30 6 32 6 35 7 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 16 4 20 4 15 3 20 4 
			 South East London 39 6 56 9 43 6 57 9 
			 South West London 47 7 41 6 53 8 57 8 
			 South West Peninsula 32 5 39 6 45 7 54 8 
			 South Yorkshire 21 5 16 4 15 3 25 5 
			 Surrey and Sussex 56 5 67 6 81 7 75 6 
			 Thames Valley 36 4 41 5 50 6 50 5 
			 Trent 45 6 40 5 54 6 59 7 
			 West Midlands South 22 4 29 5 31 6 34 6 
			 West Yorkshire 27 4 44 6 39 5 21 3 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
			  Complete leavers % of total dentists Complete leavers % of total dentists Complete leavers % of total dentists Complete leavers % of total dentists 
		
		
			 England 1,352 7 1,236 6 1,224 6 1,097 5 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 81 9 75 8 50 5 54 5 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 64 8 55 7 39 5 31 4 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 30 4 34 4 33 4 31 3 
			 Cheshire & Merseyside 62 7 40 4 53 5 45 4 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 19 5 14 4 13 3 28 7 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 40 6 44 6 20 3 27 3 
			 Dorset and Somerset 36 7 30 6 40 8 40 7 
			 Essex 41 7 49 9 40 7 28 4 
			 Greater Manchester 55 6 45 5 53 5 38 4 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 49 7 49 7 57 8 43 5 
			 Kent and Medway 50 8 50 8 43 7 68 10 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire  and Rutland 24 5 15 3 18 3 30 5 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 5 56 7 47 6 59 7 59 
			 North and East Yorkshire and  Northern Lincolnshire 32 5 29 5 34 6 33 5 
			 North Central London 58 8 56 8 57 8 36 5 
			 North East London 51 9 39 6 37 6 35 5 
			 North West London 111 11 59 6 64 6 58 5 
			 Northumberland, Tyne & Wear 30 6 36 7 42 8 31 5 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 26 5 22 4 32 6 26 4 
			 South East London 60 9 35 5 54 8 45 6 
			 South West London 66 10 53 8 60 9 34 4 
			 South West Peninsula 60 9 52 7 65 9 47 6 
			 South Yorkshire 20 4 34 7 27 6 18 4 
			 Surrey and Sussex 85 6 108 8 93 7 86 6 
			 Thames Valley 55 6 65 7 62 6 48 4 
			 Trent 50 5 62 7 42 4 48 5 
			 West Midlands South 36 6 30 5 26 4 31 4 
			 West Yorkshire 52 7 41 5 47 6 31 4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Complete leaver means the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.
	2. Percentages are calculated on the number of dentists with an open GDS or PDS contract as at 30 September in the specified year.
	3. The dentist numbers include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts are excluded.
	4. A dentist may have a contract in more than one Strategic Health Authority area. Therefore, data at Strategic Health Authority area may include duplications of dentists leaving.
	England data excludes duplication.
	5. The postcode of the Dental Practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. Strategic health authority areas have been defined using the Office of National Statistics All Fields Postcode Directory.
	6. The numbers of leavers include all notifications, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 8 November 2005.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action she is taking to improve dental services in Ribble Valley;
	(2)  how many NHS dentists are operating in Ribble Valley and Fulwood.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 29 November 2005
	As at 30 September 2005, there were 65 dentists with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract with Hyndburn and Ribble Valley primary care trust, compared with 54 in 2005, an increase of 11. The number of dental practices is 2003 was 23, of which 12 have opened PDS contracts.
	£205.5 million funding was allocated to Hyndburn and Ribble Valley primary care trust (PCT). As additional £130,000 was allocated to the PCT to improve access to national health service dentistry.

Dentistry

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent dentists were practising in England in the NHS (a) in each year since 1997 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: [holding answer 20 December 2005): Information about full-time equivalent dentists is not available because a dentist with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract may provide as little or as much national health service treatment as he or she chooses.
	The numbers of dentists in England with a GDS or PDS contract as at 30 September 2005 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Total GDS and PDS dentists 
		
		
			 1997 16,670 
			 1998 17,199 
			 1999 17,755 
			 2000 18,167 
			 2001 18,722 
			 2002 18,946 
			 2003 19,260 
			 2004 19,722 
			 2005 20,890 
		
	
	Note:
	Data includes all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 2 November 2005.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the age profile of dentists working under NHS contracts; and what assessment she has made of the implications of that age profile for the supply of NHS dental services.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 20 December 2005
	The percentage of general dental services (CDS) dentists by age band and personal dental services (PDS) contracts by age band of dentist, in England, as at 30 June 2005 is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Age band  Percentage of CDS dentists in age band Percentage of PDS contracts in dentist age band 
		
		
			 All ages 100 100 
			 under 30 14 20 
			 30–34 14 17 
			 35–39 15 15 
			 40–44 16 14 
			 45–49 15 13 
			 50–54 11 10 
			 55–59 9 7 
			 60 and over 6 4 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board
	The age profile and patterns of retirement were one of the factors that contributed to the analysis of future patterns of supply of dentists in the primary care dental workforce review.

Disability

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a Minister in her Department is planned to be nominated to take responsibility for liaison with the Office for Disability Issues; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Anne McGuire, the Minister for Disabled People, has overall responsibility for the Office for Disability Issues (ODI). The Minister for Disabled People chairs a cross-government steering group which includes ministerial representatives from the Department of Health, Department for Education and Skills, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Department for Transport, and Department of Trade and Industry. I am the Minister in this Department nominated to take responsibility for liaison with the ODI.
	Launched on 1 December 2005, the Office for Disability Issues is a cross-government unit which supports and reports to the Minister for Disabled People who has lead responsibility, in collaboration with colleagues across government, for driving forward the Government's 20-year strategy to improve outcomes for disabled people.

Flu Pandemic

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances she would seek to impose restrictions on movement of people in order to reduce the risk of spread of pandemic influenza from human to human.

Rosie Winterton: Travel restrictions are one of the options that may be considered to try to reduce the spread of pandemic influenza, particularly during the initial stages. Any decision will be based on evidence of the possible impact and will be informed by emerging information about the nature of the virus and the at-risk groups.

General Practitioners' Pay

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of general practitioners' pay was in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001, (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		General practitioners total pay 1997 to 2004 £ million
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 GMS Non-Discretionary 2,198 2,243 2,451 2,510 2,288 2,068 1,903 
			 GMS Discretionary 835 878 897 940 857 840 781 
			 PMS n/a 37 84 174 569 1,152 1,939 
			 
			 Total GMS Including PMS spend) 3,033 3,158 3,432 3,624 3,714 4,060 4,623 
			 
			 Percentage change total year on year n/a 4.12 8.68 5.59 2.48 9.32 13.87 
		
	
	Sources:
	1. Up to 2001–02 data is from the 95 England Health Authorities. For 2001–02, PCTs were introduced but were only reporting on GMS discretionary expenditure.
	2. 2002–03 spend is based on combined 28 SHA Qtr 1–2 and Qtr 3–4 303 PCT spend. Owing to PCTs not having non-discretionary banking rights until September 2003. 2003–04 spend is based on 304 audited PCT returns.
	3. PMS Pilots funding covers wave 1–5B funding
	4. PMS spend includes both local transfers from the Unified budget discretionary amounts and GMS non-discretionary transfers.
	5. Discretionary and non-discretionary GMS figures reflect the growth over the period in GP and practice staff numbers, and the rise in pay and expenses.
	6. Note that all figures up to 2001–02 are based on cash only spend. Due to changes in accounting regulations figures for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are resource based.

Health and Social Care Act

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department has issued to (a) primary care trusts, (b) strategic health authorities and (c) other NHS organisations on their obligations under Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 in relation to (i) primary care trust mergers and (ii) strategic health authority reconfigurations; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There is no duty to consult under section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 (the 2001 Act) because the strategic health authority (SHA), primary care trust (PCT) and ambulance trust reconfiguration proposals amount to managerial and administrative changes only. However, if there are any proposals to make changes to service provision put forward in the future by the newly reconfigured organisations, there will be a duty on those organisations to involve and consult patients and the public on those proposals under section 11 of the 2001 Act.
	The following regulations apply to the present consultation:
	National Health Service Trusts (Consultation on Establishment and Dissolution) Regulations 1996 (Statutory Instrument (SI) 1996/657) (the 1996 Regulations)
	Primary Care Trusts (Consultation on Establishment, Dissolution and Transfer of Staff) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/2337) (the 1999 Regulations)
	Strategic Health Authorities (Consultation on Changes) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1617) (the 2003 Regulations).
	Consultation guidance has been issued to all SHAs. Further to this, we are making it clear to SHAs that when preparing their summaries of the consultation responses, all views generated as a result of the consultation must be taken into account, even where these views vary from the options set out in their consultation document.

Health Care Vacancies

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) three month vacancy rate percentage, (b) three month vacancy number and (c) number of staff in post full-time equivalent was for (i) occupational therapy staff, (ii) speech and language staff, (iii) physiotherapists, (iv) district nurses and (v) health visitors in each strategic health authority in England in (A) 1997, (B) 2001, (C) 2004 and (D) 2005.

Liam Byrne: The information requested for 2001, 2004 and 2005 has been placed in the Library.
	The first national health service vacancy survey was undertaken in 1999 therefore information for 1997 is not available centrally.

Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) land and (b) properties belonging to the NHS in West Lancashire has (i) been sold in each year since 2000 and (ii) planned to be sold in (A) 2005–06 and (B) 2006–07.

Liam Byrne: Information on land and property sold or planned to be sold by the national health service is not held centrally.

Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the at-risk population of (a) the West Lancashire primary care trust area, (b) Lancashire and (c) England is expected to be inoculated against existing strains of influenza by 31 December.

Caroline Flint: Information on seasonal flu uptake by primary care trust will not be available until February 2006.
	Based on provisional data from England, it is likely that seasonal flu uptake will increase in those aged 65 years and over, and in other risk groups when compared. The Department will have further information on this in the next year.

Health Spending

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what projected per capita Government spending on health in Wiltshire for 2005–06 is;
	(2)  what projected per capita Government spending on health in County Durham for 2005–06 is.

Liam Byrne: The total spend by national health service organisations in Wiltshire and County Durham for 2005–06 will be reported in the 2005–06 final accounts, which will be published in autumn 2006.
	The forecasts for 2005–06 recently published on the Department's publications website are based on un-audited data. The forecasts are available at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/FreedomOflnformation/ClassesOflnformation/fs/en
	The latest year for which audited financial data is available is 2004–05. The table shows the spend per head for primary care trusts (PCTs) in Wiltshire and County Durham for 2004–05.
	
		
			  £ 
			 PCT 2004–05 spend per head 
		
		
			 Kennet and North Wiltshire 917 
			 South Wiltshire 1,045 
			 West Wiltshire 940 
			   
			 Derwentside 1,263 
			 Durham and Chester-le-Street 1,142 
			 Durham Dales 1,251 
			 Easington 1,320 
			 Sedgefield 1,236 
		
	
	Sources:
	2003 based 2004 Office for National Statistics projections
	2004–05 audited summarisation schedules for PCTs

Health Staffing Costs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average cost and (b) total cost was of employing (i) consultants, (ii) registrars, (iii) other doctors in training, (iv) general medical practitioners excluding registrars, (v) general medical practitioner registrars, (vi) general practitioner retainers, (vii) qualified nurses, (viii) qualified allied health professionals, (ix) qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff, (x) qualified ambulance staff and (xi) all other professionally qualified clinical staff in England in (A) 2000 and (B) 2004; and how many full-time equivalent posts there were in each category in each year.

Liam Byrne: The information available has been placed in the Library.
	Information on average cost and total cost of employing general medical practitioners excluding registrars, general medical practitioner registrars and general practitioner retainers is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual trusts.

Hospital Bed Occupancy

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for hospital bed occupancy; how many beds have been available in general and acute wards in hospitals in Torbay primary care trust in each year since 1997; and what percentage of these were occupied on average in each year.

Caroline Flint: Evidence suggests that the optimal bed occupancy rate is around 82 to 85 per cent. These figures however, are merely a guideline and it is up to the national health service locally to decide how best to manage their services.
	The number of beds that have been made available in general and acute wards in Torbay primary care trust (PCT), and the percentage of these that were occupied on average since 2000 is shown in the table. This is the earliest data available as the PCT only came into existence in 2000. The data is collected on a provider rather than a commissioner basis.
	
		Average daily number of general and acute beds available and occupancy rate, Torbay PCT, 2000–01 to 2004–05
		
			  Available Occupancy (percentage) 
		
		
			 2000–01 0 0.0 
			 2001–02 0 0.0 
			 2002–03 50 92.5 
			 2003–04 54 87.8 
			 2004–05 54 80.8 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03

Hospital Closures

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time jobs would be lost if (i) Ludlow community hospital and (ii) Bridgnorth community hospital were closed;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the closure of (a) Ludlow community hospital and (b) Bridgnorth community hospital on community care services in Shropshire; and what assessment she has made of the financial impact on the relevant local authorities.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 20 December 2005
	This is a matter for the health community in Shropshire. Any proposals for significant changes to the provision of health services in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin will be subject to formal public consultation.

Independent Treatment Centres

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated price per procedure paid was to wave 1 independent sector treatment centres in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and what the NHS tariff was for each procedure offered by such centres in each year.

Liam Byrne: The price per procedure paid to wave 1 independent sector treatment centres is commercially confidential.
	National health service tariff data for 2003–04 and 2004–05 is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/FinanceAndPlanning/NHSFinancialReforms/NHSFinancialReformsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID= 4065325&chk=qI6yXO
	and at
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/09/15/31/040491531.pdf.
	However, this data is not comparable with independent sector contracts as they have to cover a range of costs, which are not applicable to the NHS. NHS equivalent cost, which does take into account the range of additional costs incurred by independent sector providers, is used to provide a direct comparison between the services procured from the independent sector and the NHS. Details of equivalent cost by procedure cannot be disclosed as it would undermine future commercial negotiations. However, the overall cost for wave 1 schemes in 2003–04 and 2004–05 was less than the NHS equivalent.

Independent Treatment Centres

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been contracted for at each independent treatment centre; of what type; and how many operations each centre has carried out.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Activity to October 2005 
			 Scheme Casemix Interim/full service commencement date Contract end date Total FFCEs(30) Procedures Diagnostics 
		
		
			 Ophthalmic Chain Ophthalmology 1 February 2004 25 January 2009 44,737 18,389 — 
			 East Cornwall General Surgery, Urology, Trauma and orthopaedics, Ear, nose and throat, Oral surgery, General medicine, Gastroenterology, cardiology, Dermatology, Thoracic medicine, Rheumatology, Paediatrics, Gynaecology, Dietetics, Physio assessment, Ophthalmology, Plastic Surgery 1 October 2005 (interim start date) 26 January 2006 31 March 2010 26,767 22 — 
			 East Lincolnshire Ophthalmology,urology, hernias, varicose veins, colonoscopies and minor skin 20 April 2005 31 March 2010 7,263 437 — 
			 West Lincolnshire Ophthalmology, gastroscopies, colonoscopies, orthopaedic, urology and minor skin 1 April 2005 31 March 2010 6,365 351 — 
			 North Oxford (Horton) General Surgery, Urology, Trauma and orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Oral surgery, Plastic Surgery, Gastroenterology, Dermatology, Rheumatology, Gynaecology 1 January 2006 31 March 2010 11,197 — — 
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire General Surgery, Trauma and orthopaedics 1 July 2005 (interim start date) 25 January 2006 31 March 2010 9,964 154 — 
			 Southampton Orthopaedics 1 April 2005 31 March 2010 12,317 652 — 
			 Northumberland Upper scopes, hernias, varicose veins, minor skin 25 May 2005 31 March 2010 10,080 316 — 
			 Thames Valley General Surgery, Urology, Trauma and orthopaedics, Dermatology, Gynaecology 1 April 2005 (interim start date) 1 August 2006 31 March 2010 14,072 386 — 
			 West Surrey Subject to negotiation — — — — — 
			 Kidderminster Orthopaedics and general surgery 1 February 2005 31 January 2010 9,000 966 — 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Orthopaedics 1 June 2006 31 May 2011 24,817 — — 
			 Nottingham Orthopaedic, Gynaecology, General surgical, Dermatology, Endoscopies 1 December 2007 30 November 2012 110,700 — — 
			 Maidstone Surgical Centre Chemotherapy, minor surgery and diagnostics 25 September 2006 24 November 2011 12,112 — — 
			 Outer North East London Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, ENT, Oral, General Surgery, Urology 1 December 2006 30 November 2011 55,345 — — 
			 Brighton Orthopaedics 1 February 2005 (interim start date) 12 June 2006 31 May 2011 27,479 2,451 — 
			 Wycombe Diagnostics only (MRI, x-ray, echo and ultrasound) 1 August 2005 31 July 2010 74,880 — 1,505 
			 Medway General Surgery, Gastroenterology, ENT, Gynaecology, Ophthalmic, Orthopaedics, Plastics, Urology, Oral Surgery, Ultrasound scans—general, Ultrasound scans—doppler, CT scans, MRI scans, Plain films and x-rays, Fluoroscopy 3 October 2005 30 September 2010 19,770 72 — 
			 Portsmouth Walk in centre/minor injuries unit, day surgery, diagnostics, ophthalmology 1 December 2005 31 December 2010 34,155 — — 
			 Havant Diagnostics only 1 January 2008 31 December 2010 78,600 — — 
			 Lister Surgical centre Paediatrics, paediatrics ENT, endoscope, urology, ophthalmology, gynaecology and other specialities 1 October 2007 1 October 2012 15,612 — — 
			 Hemel Hampstead Surgical centre Paediatrics, paediatrics ENT, endoscope, urology, ophthalmology, gynaecology and other specialities 1 October 2007 1 October 2012 13,943 — — 
			 Bradford General Surgery, Gastroenterology, ENT, Gynaecology, Ophthalmic, Orthopaedics, Plastics, Urology, Oral Surgery, Ultrasound scans— general, Ultrasound scans—doppler, CT scans, MRI scans, Plain films and x-rays, Fluoroscopy 1 July 2005 30 June 2010 27,416 846 4,784 
			 Trent and South Yorkshire Orthopaedic, MRI, CT scans 1 April 2005 31 March 2010 22,000 4,412 — 
			 Daventry Ophthalmology, Upper GI endoscopies, Sigmoidscopy, Orthopaedics Dermatology, Urology 1 October 2003 30 September 2006 5,959 4,580 — 
			 Shepton Mallet Orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery and endoscopy 15 July 2005 14 July 2010 56,242 1,647 — 
			 Greater Manchester Orthopaedic, general surgery and ENT 19 May 2005 18 May 2010 44,863 1,899 — 
			 Plymouth Orthopaedics 3 May 2005 2 May 2010 2,938 1,382 — 
			 General Supplementary 1 Orthopaedic, ophthalmic, general surgery, ENT, plastic surgery 25 May 2004 30 June 2005 25,000 26,540 — 
			 General Supplementary 2 Orthopaedic, general surgery 1 July 2005 1 December 2005 12,167 12,837 — 
			 MRI MRI diagnostic scanning 16 July 2004 15 July 2009 630,000 — 82,450 
			 Chlamydia 16–24 year old screening 14 November 2005 To be confirmed To be confirmed — — 
			 Commuter walk-in Centres Primary care 17 November 2005 Various 2.1 million — — 
		
	
	(30) FFCEs—A first finished consultant episode is a first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

Latex Allergy

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements she has made to monitor response by NHS trusts to the National Patient Safety Organisation's recent information notice on latex allergy.

Jane Kennedy: The National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) patient safety information on protecting patients with an allergy associated with latex was issued to national health service trusts on 26 May 2005. As it built on existing guidance, this served as a reminder to NHS organisations to put in place policies regarding latex. The deadline for the completion of the recommended action is 27 January 2006.
	The information was issued via the Department's safety alert broadcast system (SABS) which is a means of electronically issuing nationally endorsed safety guidance to the NHS.
	There are a number of measures to monitor responses by NHS trusts to the National Patient Safety Organisation's recent information notice on latex allergy. These include the following:
	SABS will receive feedback from relevant trusts on their compliance with the action required.
	The NPSA intend will be undertaking an e-mail sample survey in May 2006.
	The Healthcare Commission will be reviewing and assessing NHS organisations against core standard Cl which requires them to ensure that patient safety notices, alerts and other communications concerning patient safety which require action are acted upon within required timescales. Trusts are required to submit self-declarations on performance against this standard (and other core standards) in April 2006.

Leicestershire Acute Hospital Trust

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average length of stay is for patients in (a) acute trusts and (b) Leicestershire Acute Hospital Trust; and what the upper quartile length of stay is for all trusts;
	(2)  if she will list the acute hospital trusts which achieved upper quartile performance on patient stays across (a) all specialties, (b) all sites and (c) all specialties and all sites in 2004–05.

Liam Byrne: The average length of stay for all acute trusts and University Hospitals of Leicester national health service trust is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Trust Average (mean) length of stay 
		
		
			 All acute trusts (England) 5.6 days 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 5 days 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre 2003–04: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data; that is, the data is ungrossed.
	Data is only available by trust, not hospital site. There are 64 main specialty groupings and no trust is in the upper quartile of all trusts for length of stay in all specialties. About 96 per cent. of trusts have at least one speciality in the upper quartile for that speciality.

Media Monitoring

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on the use of broadcast and print media analysis.

Jane Kennedy: The Department commissions analysis of print media coverage to enables us to measure the impact of our communication activities and plan effective future activity. This is a standard part of best practice in communications in both the public and private sectors as it enables us to measure the impact of our communication activities and so helps us manage future activity more effectively.
	In August 2005, the Department published summaries of its national and regional media evaluation and has promised to repeat this every six months as part of its wider commitment to freedom of information. The Department uses its analysis as above, including highlighting inaccuracies in health reporting that can be harmful to public health and sharing analysis with local national health service communication teams, who use it to benchmark the effectiveness of their own activities.
	The Department does not, as yet, analyse broadcast media coverage in depth. Although judgments are made based on past coverage about the best way to serve broadcast journalists covering health stories.

Medical Careers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the medical careers reforms on the ability of senior house officers to secure employment in the NHS.

Liam Byrne: There is no intention to reduce the number of training posts for junior doctors as a result of the proposed modernising medical careers changes (MMC) to the structure of training programmes. MMC aims to improve patient care by delivering a modernised and focused career structure for October and a successful start was made with the introduction of foundation programmes in August 2005.

Methadone

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has issued on the prescription of methadone in prisons; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Prison Service Order 3550, "Clinical Services for Substance Misusers" includes the provision that prisons will have evidence-based guidelines on maintenance prescribing, including methadone prescribing, in line with departmental guidelines.

Necrotising Fasciitis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Southend, (b) Essex, (c) Hertfordshire, (d) Greater London and (e) England have (i) contracted and (ii) died of necrotising fasciitis in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Community Care (Mr. Byrne) gave the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 6 December 2005, Official Report, columns 1230–31W.

NHS Commissioning

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Mr. Roy Lilley on opportunities for the independent and voluntary sector arising from the proposals set out in Sir Nigel Crisp's paper on commissioning a patient-led NHS.

Liam Byrne: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with Mr. Roy Lilley on this issue.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of NHS income from charges was in 2004–05; and how much was accounted for by income from (a) fees and charges from health authorities, (b) fees and charges from district health authorities, (c) road traffic accident income, (d) fees and charges from NHS trusts, (e) NHS Supplies Authority fees, (f) dental charges, (g) prescription charges, (h) nursing home inspection fees, (i) subsidised dried milk, (j) Medicines Control Agency licences and inspections, (k) youth treatment service income, (l) NHS Pension Agency fees, (m) Medical Devices Agency fees, (n) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority licence fees, (o) English National Board for Nursing registration fees and (p) other charges.

Liam Byrne: National health service income figures from fees and charges are shown in the table. The table includes fees and charges to bodies outside the NHS, charges to private and overseas patients and charges to NHS patients.
	The only charges to NHS patients are those for dental and prescription charges.
	
		Breakdown of NHS income from charges by charge type 2004–05
		
			 Charges £ million 
		
		
			 (a) Strategic health authority—fees and charges 33.7 
			 (b) District health authorities (31)— 
			 (c) Road traffic accident income 110.3 
			 (d) NHS trusts—fees and charges 669.4 
			 (e) NHS Logistics fees 1.0 
			 (f) Dental charges 451.8 
			 (g) Prescription charges 424.6 
			 (h) Nursing home inspection fees — 
			 (i) Subsidised dried milk — 
			 (j) Medicines Control Agency—licences and inspections (31)— 
			 (k) Youth treatment service income (31)— 
			 (l) NHS Pensions Agency fees 0.6 
			 (m) Medical Devices Agency fees (31)— 
			 (n) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority—licence fees 4.1 
			 (o) English National Board for Nursing—registration fees (31)— 
			 (p) Other 316.1 
			 Total 2,011.6 
		
	
	(31) Organisations no longer exist.
	(a) Health authorities became strategic health authorities in 2002–03. Figures include fees and charges for primary care trusts.
	(e) Previously the NHS Supplies Authority.
	(h) From April 2002, the National Care Standards Commission regulated nursing homes. Health authorities no longer collect the fee income.
	(i) Not collected after 2002–03 (following a review with the NAO to eliminate non-material items).
	(p) Information relating to charges for private patients and overseas visitors has been provided for NHS trusts and primary care trusts.
	Source:
	Information on fees and charges has been provided from the audited accounts of the relevant NHS bodies.

NHS Settlement

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the £6.1 billion increase in Total NHS Settlement for 2004–05 was spent on (a) additional or increased salaries, (b) employers national insurance contributions and (c) additional pension contributions and costs; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table. We cannot determine what proportion of the £6.1 billion was spent on additional pension scheme contributions and costs. From 2003–04 to 2004–05, employer pension scheme contributions rose from £3.588 billion to £3.890 billion, subject to audit.
	
		Staff costs expenditure, by English strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts £000
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 Increase 
		
		
			 Salaries and wages 25,432,668 25,501,898 69,230 
			 Social security costs 1,794,765 1,868,389 73,624 
			 Pension costs 1,359,634 2,721,225 1,361,591 
			 Total staff costs 28,587,067 30,091,512 1,504,445 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for NHS foundation trusts are not included in 2004–05 as the Department does not collect data from foundation trusts.
	2. Salaries and wages: this is the total gross pay of all full and part-time employees. Social security costs: this is the total employer's national insurance contributions net of statutory maternity pay deductions. Pension costs: this is the employer's pension scheme contributions.
	Sources:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the NHS trusts 2003–04 and 2004–05
	Audited summarisation schedules of the primary care trusts 2003–04 and 2004–05
	Audited summarisation forms of the strategic health authorities 2003–04 and 2004–05

NHS Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) general practitioners, (c) surgeons, (d) ward support staff and (e) administrative staff were employed in the NHS in each year since 1997; what the total share of the budget attributed to each was in each year; and what the projected figures are for 2006.

Liam Byrne: The information requested on staff numbers is shown in the tables.
	
		National health service staff in England by each specified staff group as at 30 September each specified year headcount
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 All medical staff within the surgical group of specialties 13,394 13,786 14,189 14,594 15,267 16,035 16,892 18,290 
			 of which: 
			 Consultants 4,094 4,186 4,431 4,640 4,893 5,088 5,389 5,754 
			 All general medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(32)(33) 29,389 29,697 29,987 30,252 30,685 31,182 32,593 34,085 
			 Total qualified nursing staff 318,856 323,457 329,637 335,952 350,381 367,520 386,359 397,515 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 300,467 304,563 310,142 316,752 330,535 346,537 364,692 375,371 
			 General practitioner practice nurses(33)(34) 18,389 18,894 19,495 19,200 19,846 20,983 21,667 22,144 
			 Support to clinical staff 283,871 289,363 296,619 307,225 325,890 344,524 360,666 368,285 
			 Healthcare assistants and support staff 181,049 184,480 189,085 194,000 204,925 210,462 221,904 223,526 
			 Other support to clinical staff 23,772 23,466 23,709 24,847 26,691 33,151 29,755 30,086 
			 Administrative support to clinical staff(35) 79,050 81,417 83,825 88,378 94,274 100,911 109,007 114,673 
			 Administrative staff 92,820 93,772 98,283 102,884 108,863 118,000 127,578 137,557 
			 Central functions 70,647 71,079 73,996 77,628 81,439 85,706 92,257 99,831 
			 Manager and senior manager 22,173 22,693 24,287 25,256 27,424 32,294 35,321 37,726 
		
	
	(32) General medical practitioners, excluding retainers, includes contracted GPs, general medical service (GMS) others, personal medical service (PMS) others and GP registrars. Prior to September 2004 this group included GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career Scheme GPs and GP returners.
	(33) Data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–04.
	(34) Headcount practice nurse figures are estimated for 1998 and 1999 based on the 1997 full-time equivalent to headcount ratio.
	(35) Administrative support to clinical staff are administrative staff who work closely with clinical staff. They are staff such as medical secretaries, patient services staff and ambulance control staff.
	Information on expenditure cannot be provided in the format requested. The percentage of total NHS expenditure in England between 1997–98 and 2004–05 for the categories of staff available is shown in the table. Figures for 2004–05 remain provisional and expenditure by NHS foundation trusts cannot be included; hence the decreases shown.
	
		Total (England) expenditure by staff categories, shown as a percentage of total NHS expenditure(36)(37)
		
			 Percentage 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Nursing midwifery and health visiting staff 19.1 19.1 19.1 19.0 19.1 18.9 17.3 16.1 
			 Medical staff 8.5 8.8 8.9 9.2 9.4 9.8 10.1 9.5 
			 Healthcare assistants and other support staff 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.1 1.9 
			 Administration and estates staff 8.6 8.5 8.4 8.4 8.5 8.7 8.3 8.3 
			 General practitioners 7.8 7.6 8.4 8.3 7.8 7.5 7.3 8.5 
		
	
	(36) Data used is in each case the combined expenditure of NHS trusts, health authorities/strategic health authorities, and primary care trusts, where applicable.
	(37) All staff expenditure data, other than for general practitioners, relates to both NHS and non-NHS staff.
	Sources:
	Audited health authority summarisation schedules 2000–01 and 2001–02.
	Audited strategic health authority summarisation schedules 2002–03 and 2003–04.
	Audited primary care trust summarisation schedules 2000–01 to 2003–04.
	Annual financial returns of the health authorities 1997–98 to 2001–02.
	Annual financial returns of the strategic health authorities 2002–03 to 2004–05.
	Annual financial returns of the primary care trusts 2000–01 to 2004–05.
	Annual financial returns of the NHS trusts 1997–98 to 2004–05.
	Future projections depend on the recommendations of pay review bodies which have yet to be made.

NHS Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average income from the NHS of (a) a general practitioner, (b) a junior doctor and (c) a nurse was in each year since 1997.

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average income from the NHS was for a (a) general practitioner, (b) dentist, (c) junior doctor and (d) nurse in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Figures based on information for general practitioners (GPs) in Great Britain are shown in table 1.
	
		Table 1: Average income of GPs 1996–97 to 2003–04
		
			  Financial year Intended average net remuneration (IANR)(£) 
		
		
			 1996–97 44,483 
			 1997–98 46,031 
			 1998–99 48,037 
			 1999–2000 52,606 
			 2000–01 54,219 
			 2001–02 56,510 
			 2002–03 61,618 
			 2003–04(38) 67,040 
		
	
	(38) The IANR equivalent figure for 2003–04 is a forecast agreed by the technical steering committee (TSC), which is a United Kingdom wide committee incorporating representatives from all UK health departments, the NHS Confederation and the British Medical Association.
	The estimated average annual net incomes, between 1997–98 and 2004–05, of general dental service (GDS) dentists with a reasonable commitment to the GDS are shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Estimated average GDS net income for dentists with a reasonable GDS commitment(39), 1997–98 to 2004–05, England and Wales
		
			 Financial year Estimated average net income (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 51,200 
			 1998–99 54,300 
			 1999–2000 55,700 
			 2000–01(40) (41)59,200 
			 2001–02 60,500 
			 2002–03 63,300 
			 2003–04 66,700 
			 2004–05 70,000 
		
	
	(39) Dentists with a reasonable commitment to the GDS are defined as dentists with GDS earnings equivalent to at least £40,000 in 1993–94 in fees for treatments and patient capitation. This equivalent is calculated each year by adjusting figures to take into account the effect of fee increases. The equivalent figure for 2004–05 is £59,100.
	(40) Commitment payments started in 2001.
	(41) Figures since 2000–01 use a different methodology to calculate the contribution from other non-fee/capitation payments.
	Source:
	Department of Health and Health and Social Care Information Centre analysis of Dental Practice Board payments and HMRC tax data.
	Figures for junior doctors and nurses are available from 1998 to 2004 as these are the years when the NHS Staff Earnings survey was undertaken.
	
		Average estimated total earnings for doctors in training and their equivalents and qualified nurses and midwives—England £
		
			  Estimated annualised average total earnings 
			  Doctors in training and their equivalents Qualified nurses and midwives 
		
		
			 1998 31,200 19,600 
			 1999 33,600 21,400 
			 2000 35,000 22,600 
			 2002 44,100 24,500 
			 2004 47,900 26,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The NHS Earnings Survey is based on a sample of payroll data from approximately 50 per cent. of NHS trusts.
	2. Averages are calculated by dividing total payments by total full time equivalents.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100.
	4. Doctors in training and their equivalents. This staff group includes house officers, senior house officers and the registrar group. This staff group contains a number of staff who while working at this level do not hold educationally approved training posts.
	Source:
	Department of Health's August NHS Staff Earnings Survey (1998 to 2002) and NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre August 2004 NHS Staff Earnings survey.

NHS-funded Operations

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS-funded operations have taken place in (a) NHS and (b) private health sector establishments in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Data on national health service funded operative procedures in different settings is published in the "Chief Executive's Report to the NHS, Statistical Supplement—December 2005".
	Data on the number of first finished consultant episodes (FFCEs) which have taken place in centrally procured independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) schemes for the years 2003–04 and 2004–05 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  ISTC FFCEs 
		
		
			 2003–04 3,663 
			 2004–05 67,928 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health

Out-of-hours Services

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with strategic health authorities about the funding of out-of-hours general practitioner services in rural areas.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 December 2005
	In recognition of the fact that the cost of out-of-hours services vary, in 2003–04 £14 million additional funding was available to support primary care trusts facing the biggest challenge in developing out-of-hours services, half to very rural and half to very urban areas. In this financial year, £11.5 million additional funding has been made available.

Palliative Care (Children)

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to passport the medical costs of providing palliative care to children's hospices.

Liam Byrne: In line with our guidance "National Standards, Local Action" in the three years to March 2008 80 per cent. of national health service funding will go direct to primary care trusts (PCTs) to give them control in shaping services to meet local needs. PCTs, along with their local partners and stakeholders, are in the best position to judge how the available funding can be used effectively in providing a range of palliative care services for children and young people.
	On 29 November, we launched a guide for the commissioners of palliative care for children and young people "Commissioning Children's and Young People's Palliative Care Services". This practical guide will stimulate improvements in commissioning and promote quality care for children, young people and their families, in a range of settings, for example, palliative care at home, in hospital or in a hospice.

Palliative Care (Children)

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to children's hospices serving West Sussex in each of the last eight years.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect information on the funding of children's hospices and palliative care services for children.
	Children's hospice services are funded from a number of sources, including services commissioned by primary care trusts (PCTs) based on their assessment of children's needs and their priorities. They are best placed to make decisions on the local need for palliative care and are able to take into account the needs of individual families and their preferences.
	In our recently published guide, "Commissioning Children's and Young People's Palliative Care Services", launched on 29 November, PCTs are advised to engage with local children's hospices over the contribution hospices can make to the overall pattern of palliative care commissioned for children and young people in their localities.

Parliamentary Questions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to answer the Questions (a) 21145, (b) 21220, (c) 21219 and (d) 21776 tabled by the hon. Member for Romsey on 19 and 20 October.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1715W for question 21219.
	I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave on 24 November 2005, Official Report, column 2282W for questions 21145 and 21220.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 14 December 2005, Official Report, columns 2125–26W for question 21776.

Physical Agents Directive

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on the use of magnetic resonance imaging scans in the NHS when the EU physical agents directive comes into force.

Liam Byrne: An initial impact assessment carried out by the Health Protection Agency suggests that the European physical agents directive may affect about 3.5 per cent. of all magnetic resonance imaging scans in England. The Department are considering how to handle the impact of this on the national health service.

Plagiocephaly

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when she expects guidelines to be issued to assist the early detection of positional plagiocephaly by health professionals;
	(2)  what plans her Department has for publicising the methods available to avoid positional plagiocephaly;
	(3)  how much was spent by her Department on publicising advice to (a) parents and (b) health professionals on how to avoid positional plagiocephaly in each year since 2001.

Liam Byrne: The child health development programme, which provides for health and development checks for young children, is informed by professional guidelines, "principally Health for all children" edited by Professor David Hall and Dr. David Elliman. This includes guidance on detecting abnormalities in skull development.
	Positional plagiocephaly is caused by allowing consistent pressure to be applied to one part of a baby's skull over a period of time. This is commonly remedied by enabling babies to experience a range of positions rather than remaining in one position. The Department's guidance to parents on the first five years of their child's life "Birth to five", and on reducing the risk of cot death, advocates this procedure.
	Funding associated with avoiding positional plagiocephaly is not separable from the overall funding of child health in the community.

Primary Care Trusts

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make a decision on the reorganisation of Hertfordshire primary care trusts; and if she will undertake a public consultation on the matter.

Liam Byrne: On 15 October, strategic health authorities (SHAs) submitted their proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts (PCTs), which set out how they intend to strengthen their commissioning function. These proposals were assessed by an independent external panel drawn from and representing a wide range of stakeholder interests, to determine whether the SHA proposals meet the criteria stipulated in the document, "Commissioning a Patient Led NHS" (My 2005).
	Following consideration by the external panel and Ministers, proposals for PCT reconfiguration were notified to all SHAs and hon. and right hon. Members. Consultations began on December 14, running for 14 weeks. No decisions on the reorganisation of PCTS, including those in Hertfordshire, will be taken until this process has been completed.

Primary Care Trusts

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely effect of allowing varying sizes and configuration of primary care trusts on the level of consistency and equality of access to services across England.

Liam Byrne: The criteria for assessing proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts (PCTs) was set out in the document, "Commissioning a Patient Led NHS". These included improving health and reducing inequalities, improving commissioning and effective use of resources and improving co-ordination with social services. I expect overall the new PCTs to improve consistency of performance and equality of access as a result.

Private Finance Initiative Projects

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the assets and liabilities of each private finance project approved by her Department is recorded on the Government balance sheet.

Liam Byrne: A small number of national health service private finance initiative schemes are regarded under accounting standards as on balance sheet. These are shown in the table where 100 per cent. of the capital value of these schemes and the corresponding liabilities are on the national health service's balance sheet.
	
		
			  £000 
			 NHS trust Capital value on balance sheet 
		
		
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 44,562 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 114,909 
			 Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup NHS Trust 4,500 
			 Oxleas NHS Trust 17,612 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 35,306 
		
	
	The great majority of national health service private finance initiative schemes are regarded under accounting standards as being off balance sheet which means that the facilities built by the private sector are off the national health service's balance sheet. There may be deferred assets and liabilities in the accounts of the individual bodies arising from these transactions, but these are not separately identifiable from the accounts.

Private Finance Initiative Projects

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) location and (b) capacity is of each completed private finance initiative hospital project; what the cost was of each; and what the (i) location, (ii) planned capacity and (iii) expected cost is of each planned private finance initiative hospital project.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave today to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane). The information shown in the tables gives details requested of schemes that have not yet reached financial close with an estimated capital value of £25 million and above. The Department does not hold centrally full information for schemes below £25 million.
	
		Private finance initiative schemes in negotiation but not yet reached financial close
		
			 Trust Location 
		
		
			 Barts and the London National Health Service Trust East London 
			 University Hospital Birmingham/South MH NHS Trust Birmingham Birmingham 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust Stoke 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Leicester 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Cottingham 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Wakefield 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Portsmouth 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust St Helens 
			 North Middlesex Hospitals NHS Trust Edmonton 
			 Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust Chelmsford 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust Oxford 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trusts Salford 
			 Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust Tameside, Great Manchester 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust Colchester 
			 Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust Peterborough 
			 Whipps Cross Hospitals NHS Trust London 
			 Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust Walsall 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells/ Invicta Community Care NHS Trusts Pembury and Maidstone 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust Torquay 
			 Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust across Leicestershire 
			 Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust Middlesbrough 
		
	
	
		Schemes finalising options and scope prior to going out to tender
		
			 Trust Location 
		
		
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust Bristol 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust Barnet 
			 Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust Wolverhampton 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust Southampton 
			 East and North Hertfordshire/West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust Hertfordshire 
			 Bristol North/South Gloucester PCTs Yet to be determined 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Trust Cambridge 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Acute Trust Birmingham 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Leeds 
			 Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust Uxbridge 
			 Royal national Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust Stanmore 
			 Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust Taunton 
			 Southend Hospital NHS Trust Westcliff on Sea 
			 South of Tyne and Wearside Mental Health Trust Sunderland 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust Northwick Park 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals East Berkshire 
			 Aintree Hospitals Liverpool 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Liverpool 
			 Mersey Care Merseyside 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital Liverpool 
			 Plymouth Hospitals Plymouth

Public Consultation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) organisations and (b) individuals were consulted by her Department before publication of her Department's White Paper on smoking; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department has recently held two recent major public consultations where the subject of smoking was included.
	The "Choosing Health" consultation was held between March 2004 and June 2004. A consultation on the smoke free proposals set out in the public health White Paper "Choosing Health" was held between June 2005 and September 2005.
	The "Choosing Health" consultation analysis final report was published on 9 March 2005. Chapter three of the report gives information on the responses received by organisation type, not named organisations nor individuals. A copy is available in the Library.
	A list of organisations and individuals in England, who were sent the consultation on the smoke free elements of the Health Bill, will be placed in the Library. The results of the consultation, including a summary of the types of organisations responding, was published recently and a copy is available in the Library.

Radiology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many interventional radiologists have been employed by the NHS in each year since 1997; and what plans she has to expand this number;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the optimum number of interventional radiologists needed by the NHS, with specific reference to the numbers needed to fully utilise minimally invasive technologies of proven clinical and cost-effectiveness.

Liam Byrne: Information is not collected centrally on the number of interventional radiologists employed in the national health service. The table shows the number of hospital medical staff in the radiology group of specialties in each year since 1997.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services: all medical staff and consultants within the radiology group of specialties by specialty Number (headcount)
		
			  All staff Consultant 
			   of which:  of which: 
			  Radiology Group Clinical radiology Nuclear medicine Radiology Group Clinical radiology Nuclear medicine 
		
		
			 1997 2,064 2,014 50 1,473 1,442 31 
			 1998 2,127 2,075 52 1,514 1,481 33 
			 1999 2,214 2,164 50 1,540 1,507 33 
			 2000 2,347 2,303 44 1,616 1,585 31 
			 2001 2,508 2,454 54 1,683 1,645 38 
			 2002 2,595 2,538 57 1,745 1,702 43 
			 2003 2,760 2,693 67 1,860 1,810 50 
			 2004 2,911 2,836 75 1,928 1,876 52 
			 June 2005 n/a n/a n/a 2,017 1,967 50 
		
	
	n/a—not available.
	Note:
	1997 to 2004 data as at 30 September each year, data for 2005 as at 30 June.
	Data for June 2005 was taken from the Medical and Dental mini census which collected consultants only.
	Source :
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census
	Between September 1997 and June 2005, the number of consultants in the radiology group of specialties increased by 544 or 37 per cent. Between 2002–03 and 2004–05, 166 new centrally funded specialist registrar posts were allocated. An additional 60 new posts were allocated in 2005–06, including posts for the new clinical radiology academies.
	It is the responsibility of NHS organisations to analyse their local situation and develop plans to deliver high quality NHS services and recruit the appropriate staff required to deliver these services.

Sexual Health

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by the Government to increase awareness of the risks of sexually transmitted diseases.

Caroline Flint: Measures to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were set out in the "National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV" (2001) and the public health White Paper "Choosing Health", published last November, available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.
	The White Paper also announced a new high profile national campaign, to promote safer sex messages, aimed at reducing the prevalence and spread of all STIs. The campaign will focus on younger men and women. It will be a high profile media campaign, focusing on the risks of unprotected sex and the benefits of using condoms to avoid the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and unintended pregnancies.
	Measures also include targeted HIV prevention and health promotion work with those most at risk of HIV infections, such as gay men and African communities, provided through community organisations such as the Terrence Higgins Trust and the African HIV policy network.
	In addition to these national measures, primary care trusts are responsible for providing sexual health promotion and services which meet the needs of their local populations. To support them in this role, the Department, working with professional bodies, has published recommended standards for sexual health services; a toolkit of best practice for sexual health promotion, and guidance on commissioning.

Sleep Apnoea

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  by what date she expects sufferers of obstructive sleep apnoea to be diagnosed within one month of referral by their general practitioner in accordance with the national service framework for long-term conditions quality requirement 2;
	(2)  how many obstructive sleep apnoea patients have access to continuous positive airway pressure treatment within one month of diagnosis in accordance with the national service framework for long-term conditions quality requirement 7 for people with long-term conditions;
	(3)  what proportion of suspected obstructive sleep apnoea sufferers wait for longer than one month to see a specialist after referral by their general practitioner; and how many of these have to travel for more than two hours to reach a specialist sleep centre for diagnosis and treatment;
	(4)  what percentage of NHS trusts commission specialist services for diagnosing and treating sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnoea;
	(5)  what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for treatment for diagnosed sufferers of obstructive sleep apnoea in the last year for which figures are available;
	(6)  what statistics her Department collects on the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea;
	(7)  what estimate she has made of the number of adults with (a) diagnosed and (b) undiagnosed (i) obstructive sleep apnoea and (ii) other sleep disorder sufferers;
	(8)  what research her Department has undertaken into the medical status of individuals involved in sleep-related accidents.

Liam Byrne: Data on the number of people with sleep apnoea is not available centrally but the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association estimates that 4 per cent. of men and 2 per cent. of women are affected by the condition.
	Hospital episode statistics (HES) contains details of patients admitted to and treated in national health statistics hospitals in England. In 2003–04, there were 12,162 finished consultant episodes in NHS hospitals in England for people with a primary diagnosis of sleep apnoea. HES data does not reflect the number of patients with a particular condition as a person may have more than one finished consultant episode (FCE) in the year. A FCE is defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider.
	The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions is a 10-year programme intended to stimulate long term and sustained improvement in services principally for people with neurological conditions. It is for the NHS locally to set their own pace of change. Through the regular review and inspection processes the NHS and local authorities will need to demonstrate that they are making progress in planning and developing the level of service quality described in the NSF.
	Information on waiting times for inpatient and outpatient treatment in England is collected by consultant speciality rather than for specific conditions. Depending on the clinical needs of the patient, a range of consultants can undertake the treatment of sleep disorders, including neurological and respiratory specialists. As specialty level data for relevant specialties would include data for a number of conditions it is not possible to determine what proportion of suspected obstructive sleep apnoea patients wait for longer than one month to see a specialist.
	By the end of 2005, the maximum waiting time for first outpatient appointment with a consultant will fall to 13 weeks and the maximum waiting time for inpatient treatment will fall to six months. By 2008, patients will be admitted for treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral by their general practitioner, and those with urgent conditions will be treated much faster.
	Information on the percentage of NHS trusts commissioning specialist services for diagnosing and treating sleep disorders is not available centrally. It is for health professionals in primary care organisations, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine which services their populations need and to ensure the appropriate level of provision. In terms of sleep disorders, this would include, where appropriate, the provision of continuous positive airway pressure equipment as well as other treatments and interventions such as advice to promote weight loss. It is for health professionals to decide what treatment to offer patients, in consultation with the patient and informed by the patient's medical history. The Department does not collect information on the number of sleep apnoea patients with access to continuous airway pressure treatment.
	The Department has not undertaken any research into the medical status of individuals involved in sleep-related accidents. In 2002, the Department for Transport held an expert workshop into the medical causes of daytime sleepiness in respect of driving and, as a result, strengthened the advice it provides to doctors.

Smoking

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of those (a) individuals and (b) organisations that took part in the consultation on the Health Bill favoured (i) the exemptions on the smoking ban as on the face of the Health Bill and (ii) a ban which excluded (A) private clubs and (B) pubs where food was not sold.

Caroline Flint: The consultation report was published on 24 November 2005. A copy of the publication is available in the Library.
	Of those who responded, some 57,000 plus, around 90 per cent. supported legislation on smoke free premises. Of those 90 per cent., exact figures are not available. However, of the 41,833 responses on the specific proposals, the report notes that "over 90 per cent. were against any exemptions for pubs not serving food".
	Of the 41,641 responses on the membership clubs proposal the report notes that "the vast majority believe that, since membership clubs are a workplace then there should be no exemptions".

Strategic Health Authorities

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what powers she proposes to give to strategic health authorities to allow them to intervene in the running of primary care trusts; whether she intends to give powers to strategic health authorities to insist that primary care trusts outsource and market-test services; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she has had on giving strategic health authorities the powers to remove the chief executives and board members of trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 2 December 2005
	There are no proposals or plans to give strategic health authorities (SHAs) additional powers to intervene in the running or plans of primary care trusts (PCTs) as a result of the reconfiguration exercise or to insist that PCTs outsource or market test services.
	SHAs do not have the power to remove the chief executives and board members of PCTs and there are no plans to change this situation. Under Section 13 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 the Secretary of State can make an intervention order if she is not satisfied that an national health service body is performing one of more of its functions adequately.

Strategic Health Authorities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the temporary staff costs were for (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other healthcare professionals, (d) managers and (e) administrative staff in each strategic health authority in England in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The Department collects expenditure information on non national health service staff for local NHS organisations including strategic health authorities (SHAs). Non-NHS staff expenditure figures include all agency staff and any other staff not directly employed by these bodies. Information relating to spend for the relevant staff groups in each SHA in England from 2002–03, when these were established is shown in the tables. Information relating to the costs of temporary managers is not collected centrally.
	The rise in agency staff spend over the years covered in the tables has tracked the rise in established posts over the period. Data for 2004–05 has not yet been verified but it suggests that expenditure in agency staff in the NHS has dropped significantly.
	Reducing agency spend is part of the Department's contribution to the £6.5 billion Gershon efficiency target and the 10 human resource high impact changes as highlighted in, "A workforce response to local delivery plans: a challenge for NHS Boards".
	
		HFR 25B: Salaries and wages non NHS staff (agency, etc.)—expenditure (£)—England 2003–04
		
			   Non NHS staff (agency etc.) 
			 SHA code SHA name Medical Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff Scientific, therapeutic and technical staff Administrative and clerical 
		
		
			   151 153 154 160 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 0 0 0 76,571 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA — — — 221,983 
			 Q03 Essex Strategic HA — — — 187,248 
			 Q04 North West London Strategic HA — — — 318,325 
			 Q05 North Central London Strategic HA — 4,024 — 425,939 
			 Q06 North East London Strategic HA — — — 614,906 
			 Q07 South East London Strategic HA 73,083 — — 88,577 
			 Q08 South West London Strategic HA — — — 49,899 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic HA — — — 154,736 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA — — — 76,336 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and N Lincs SHA 0 0 0 29,997 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire Strategic HA — — — 60,269 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA 0 0 0 108,334 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester Strategic HA — — — 119,610 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA — — — 53,300 
			 Q16 Thames Valley Strategic HA — — — 119,316 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic HA — — — 134,793 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway Strategic HA — — — 146,107 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA — — — 370,204 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire And Wiltshire SHA 0 0 0 56,830 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula Strategic HA — — — 172,476 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA — — — 97,104 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire Strategic HA(43) — — — 52,797 
			 Q24 Trent Strategic HA — — — 80,758 
			 Q25 Leics, Northants and Rutland SHA 0 0 0 161,367 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA — — — 76,685 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country SHA 0 0 0 155,312 
			 Q28 West Midlands South Strategic HA — — — 36,124 
			  England total 73,083 4,024 0 4,245,903 
		
	
	(43) Due to being host for Shared Business Services has resulted in £6 million expenditure for temporary staff.
	Source:
	Annual Financial Returns of Strategic Health Authorities
	
		HFR 25B: Salaries and wages non NHS staff (agency, etc.)—expenditure (£)—England 2002–03
		
			   Non NHS staff (agency etc.) 
			 SHA code SHA name Medical Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff Scientific, therapeutic and technical staff Administrative and clerical 
		
		
			   151 153 154 160 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA — — 5,334 48,068 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA — — — 99,105 
			 Q03 Essex Strategic HA 17,609 — — 185,961 
			 Q04 North West London Strategic HA — — — 246,788 
			 Q05 North Central London Strategic HA — 20,391 — 276,659 
			 Q06 North East London Strategic HA 427 — — 303,374 
			 Q07 South East London Strategic HA 0 0 0 141,482 
			 Q08 South West London Strategic HA — — 2,668 243,574 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 0 0 0 111 ,995 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 0 0 0 198,649 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and N Lings SHA — — — 39,171 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire Strategic HA — — — 158,511 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA 54,000 0 0 9,379 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester Strategic HA 0 0 0 174,108 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA — — — 68,361 
			 Q16 Thames Valley Strategic HA — — — 114,647 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle Of Wight Strategic HA — — — 272,340 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway Strategic HA — — — 205,286 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA — — — 922,225 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 0 0 0 0 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula Strategic HA — — — 191,420 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA 1,557 — 723 53,831 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire Strategic HA — — — 21,703 
			 Q24 Trent Strategic HA — — — 111,248 
			 Q25 Leics, Northants and Rutland SHA 0 0 0 434,765 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA — — — — 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country SHA 0 0 0 120,547 
			 Q28 Cov, Warks, Herefordshire and Worcs SHA — — — 28,883 
			  England total 73,593 20,391 8,725 4,782,080 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual Financial Returns of Strategic Health Authorities

Waiting Lists/Times

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an appointment to see a general practitioner was in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The requested data is not collected or held centrally. Since 2001, data has been collected each month from primary care trusts and general practitioners (GPs) on the availability of access to a general practitioner. This data shows whether access is or is not available in line with "The NHS Plan" target that patients should be able to be seen within 48 hours but do not provide information on actual waiting times. Overwhelmingly patients are able to see a GP within 48 hours if they wish.

Winter Excess Deaths

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many winter excess deaths there have been in each of the last 25 years (a) in total and (b) as a percentage of the elderly population, broken down by region; and what recent measures the Government have taken to reduce the number of winter excess deaths.

Liam Byrne: Excess winter deaths are available by the Government Office Regions since 1991–92, and are shown in the table. They represent the excess deaths which occurred in the four months December to March, compared with the number expected if the average rate of the four months either side of the winter months applied.
	
		
			 Government Office Regions in England 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 
		
		
			 Under 85
			 North East 1,700 990 1,180 800 1,420 1,550 1,000 
			 North West 3,500 2,580 1,890 2,600 3,690 3,840 1,760 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2,660 1,410 1,980 1,670 2,510 2,750 1,550 
			 East Midlands 2,050 1,390 1,490 1,670 1,780 2,000 1,190 
			 West Midlands 2,310 1,760 1,460 1,550 2,710 2,800 1,560 
			 East 1,890 1,430 1,730 1,910 2,040 2,670 1,510 
			 London 2,710 2,090 1,910 2,280 2,980 3,540 1,400 
			 South East 2,810 2,360 1,960 2,240 3,480 4,060 1,810 
			 South West 1,930 1,190 1,450 1,750 2,260 2,730 1,220 
			 
			 85 plus
			 North East 560 420 440 420 650 680 550 
			 North West 1,480 1,320 1,080 1,190 1,940 2,520 1,010 
			 Yorkshire and Number 1,320 1,060 1,120 1,100 1,530 1,800 910 
			 East Midlands 1,090 790 980 660 1,140 1,540 820 
			 West Midlands 1,060 830 950 760 1,460 1,740 900 
			 East 1,240 940 1,220 1,090 1,830 2,320 1,030 
			 London 1,540 1,260 1,240 1,230 1,840 2,390 1,120 
			 South East 1,760 1,400 1,780 1,750 2,670 3,600 1,410 
			 South West 1,420 990 1,150 1,100 1,880 2,320 1,020 
		
	
	
		
			 Government Office Regions in England 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Under 85   
			 North East 1,450 1,790 1,020 830 940 900 
			 North West 4,460 3,570 2,110 2,450 1,810 2,300 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2,870 2,720 1,510 1,530 1,220 1,600 
			 East Midlands 2,420 2,210 1,230 1,220 1,030 1,100 
			 West Midlands 2,950 3,200 1,620 1,580 1,430 1,500 
			 East 2,360 2,800 1,240 1,420 1,280 1,300 
			 London 2,780 3,450 1,390 1,430 1,460 1,100 
			 South East 3,450 4,150 1,530 1,740 1,800 1,800 
			 South West 2,030 2,510 1,050 1,360 1,140 1,200 
			
			 85 plus   
			 North East 920 880 530 690 330 400 
			 North West 2,880 2,520 1,620 1,590 1,370 1,300 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 1,890 1,900 1,060 1,300 1,010 1,100 
			 East Midlands 1,680 1,620 980 1,080 1,020 800 
			 West Midlands 1,920 2,090 970 1,100 1,170 1,100 
			 East 2,440 2,070 1,190 1,360 1,210 1,000 
			 London 2,160 2,430 1,380 1,310 1,350 1,000 
			 South East 3,260 3,530 1,620 2,390 1,870 1,600 
			 South West 2,100 2,220 1,220 1,370 1,210 1,100 
		
	
	
		Excess winter mortality as percentage of population as at January 1
		
			 Regions in England 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 
		
		
			 Under 85
			 North East 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 North West 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 West Midlands 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 East 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 
			 London 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 
			 South East 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 
			 South West 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 
			 
			 85 plus   
			 North East 1.7 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.7 1.7 1.4 
			 North West 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.7 2.2 0.9 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.8 2.1 1.0 
			 East Midlands 1.9 1.3 1.6 1.0 1.7 2.3 1.2 
			 West Midlands 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.8 2.1 1.1 
			 East 1.6 1.2 1.5 1.3 2.0 2.5 1.1 
			 London 1.6 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.7 2.1 1.0 
			 South East 1.3 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.7 2.3 0.9 
			 South West 1.6 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.8 2.1 0.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Regions in England 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Under 85   
			 North East 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 North West 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 East Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 West Midlands 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 East 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 London 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 South East 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 South West 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			
			 85 plus   
			 North East 2.3 2.1 1.2 1.6 0.8 0.9 
			 North West 2.4 2.1 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.1 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2.1 2.1 1.1 1.4 1.1 1.2 
			 East Midlands 2.3 2.2 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.0 
			 West Midlands 2.2 2.3 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 
			 East 2.5 2.0 1.1 1.3 1.1 0.9 
			 London 1.9 2.1 1.2 1.1 1.2 0.9 
			 South East 2.0 2.1 0.9 1.4 1.1 0.9 
			 South West 1.8 1.9 1.0 1.1 1.0 0.9 
		
	
	A wide range of measures has been taken, including:
	Flu and pneumococcal immunisation programmes. The United Kingdom has the highest uptake of flu immunisation among eligible groups of any in Europe.
	The Keep Warm Keep Well Campaign, launched this year with the flu immunisation campaign, comprising leaflet and helpline based advice on what simple measures older people can take to preserve their health in winter time.
	Direct encouragement to the national health service to increase further the many fuel poverty reduction partnerships between the NHS, local authorities (LAs) and, for example, EAGA. These lead to primary care staff being trained and supported, simplified referral routes and rapid response from Warm Front and others. A large proportion of referrals to Warm Front originate from the NHS.
	Funding the evaluation of an important collaboration between the NHS and the Met Office, testing the value of health forecasting in the management and self-management of those with chronic chest disease, many of whom are older people.
	Helping to set up the health, housing and fuel poverty forum in March 2005 to raise the profile of cold, damp homes, and to mainstream the many innovative activities the NHS is engaged in to address this issue.
	Establishing the £60 million partnerships for older people projects fund, against which LAs and their partners have been bidding this year. The focus of these projects is on improving outcomes for older people through preventive interventions. Fuel poverty reduction forms a part of several of the short listed bids.
	Close collaboration between the Department and the Energy Retail Association in developing a national home heat advice line, about to be launched.
	Assisting with the production of the popular fuel poverty and health toolkit, produced in 2003 by the National Heart Forum, EAGA, the Faculty of Public Health, Help the Aged, and the Met Office.

Airspace (Extraordinary Rendition)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the annual agreement between the US and the UK about flights into the UK originating in the US was last agreed; what changes if any were made; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: There is no annual agreement of the kind mentioned by the right hon. Member. Administrative arrangements have been in place since 1949 under which on a reciprocal basis US and UK military and State aircraft have clearance to land at military airfields in each other's territory.

Arms Trade

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with his counterparts in (a) the US and (b) the EU regarding the arms trade, with particular reference to (i) arms reduction and (ii) a total global arms ban.

Kim Howells: We have regular bilateral and multilateral contacts both with our EU partners and with the United States to discuss the global trade in conventional arms, including our shared concerns over the irresponsible proliferation of these weapons.
	While we have had no discussions about a total global arms ban, which we do not support, the Government are championing the elaboration of an international treaty on the arms trade and is working to secure the broad international consensus required to make this a reality. The G8 Summit at Gleaneagles in July agreed that
	"the development of international standards in arms transfers . . . would be an important step toward tackling the undesirable proliferation of conventional arms".
	On 3 October, EU Foreign Ministers added the European Union's voice to the growing support for international treaty, and called for a formal process of negotiation to begin at the United Nations at the earliest opportunity. Commonwealth Heads of Government echoed the call for the start of a UN process toward a treaty when they met for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta in November.

Brazil

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Brazil on (a) reform of the police service, (b) extra-judicial killings and (c) respect for human rights.

Douglas Alexander: The Government regularly raises with the Brazilian Government, bilaterally and with our European partners, the importance we attach to human rights, including police reform and tackling extra-judicial killings. My hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State responsible for relations with Latin America (Bill Rammell) raised human rights issues with the Brazilian Government at the UK-Brazil High Level Political talks in February 2005 and our ambassador in Brasilia discussed these issues with senior members of the Brazilian judiciary and Ministry of Justice at a seminar in Brasilia funded by the British Government in December 2005.
	Although serious abuses of human rights continue to take place in Brazil, we believe that the Brazilian authorities recognise the scale of the problem. Combating extra-judicial killings by law enforcement officials is a priority for Brazil's Sub-Secretariat for Human Rights. In addition, the Government support various projects with Brazilian partners to combat torture and improve the police and penal system. Our work enjoys the full support of the authorities both at local and federal level. We will continue to work with the Brazilian authorities and with Brazilian civil society to help address the various root causes of these problems.

China

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of China on the use of torture.

Ian Pearson: The Government urges China to end the use of torture. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, raised the visit to China of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, with Premier Wen Jiabao at the EU-China summit in September 2005. The EU, under the UK Presidency, raised the use of torture at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in October 2005. The issue was also discussed at the EU-China seminar on the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in December 2005, and at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in June 2005. We have raised individual cases of alleged torture with the Chinese Government, most recently in Beijing in December 2005. We will continue to raise this issue with the Chinese authorities.

Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on its proposed constitutional referendum.

Ian Pearson: The referendum on the new Congolese constitution took place on the 18 and 19 December 2005. Prior to the referendum, the UK, together with EU partners, pressed the Congolese authorities to work towards a peaceful and successful outcome. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development emphasised this point during his November visit to the region.
	We have congratulated the Congolese authorities on the referendum's successful completion. We continue to urge the Congolese Government and National Assembly to complete parliamentary consideration and ratification of the draft Electoral Law. This will maintain the momentum of the political process and ensure that the envisaged timetable for elections before 30 June 2006 can be met.

Congo

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of respect for human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian Pearson: The human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains poor. Years of conflict, exacerbated by corruption, illegal exploitation of resources, the collapse of the state and chronic poverty, have led to human rights violations and abuses of humanitarian standards by all sides.
	The UK continues to remind the DRC authorities of the need to protect the rights of all vulnerable groups and to bring to justice all perpetrators of abuse. An EU-led Security Council Resolution on the DRC, adopted at last year's UN General Assembly, makes clear that the DRC Government must take action to improve human rights conditions, through better command and control of the armed forces, improved freedom of expression and better protection for human rights defenders.
	The DRC is undergoing a process of political transition, which is expected to culminate in the election of a fully democratic government by mid-2006. This should provide the framework for sustained improvements in the human rights situation.

Departmental Guidance (Evidence/Documentary Access)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department giving evidence to the (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document he gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to the (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) National Assembly for Wales, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons select committees.

Douglas Alexander: There is no obligation for Ministers or officials to give evidence to Parliamentary Committees of the Devolved Assemblies. However, Ministers for Europe have appeared before the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament. Most recently, the former Europe Minister, my right hon. Friend for Rotherham (Dr. Denis MacShane) appeared before the Committee on 7 January 2004. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials attended the European and External Affairs Committee of the Welsh Assembly also in September 2005. We would consider requests to appear before all Devolved Assembly Committees on a case by case basis.
	Official documents are released to the Devolved Assemblies on an "as necessary basis", based upon the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding which agrees that each administration will aim to provide any information that may be reasonably requested by another administration to enable it to carry out its responsibilities effectively, provided that (a) this is practicable, (b) it would not involve disproportionate cost and (c) the information is available in reasonably accessible form (Part 1 para 10).
	The FCO always seeks to respond positively to all requests to provide documents to select committees of the House in accordance with Ministers' general duties to account to Parliament for the policies, decisions and actions of their Departments. Special arrangements are made for classified documents.

Departmental Staff

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants in his Department worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available.

Douglas Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold this information centrally and disproportionate time and resources would be needed to answer this question fully. However, the FCO does have a flexible working scheme which enables all staff to request to work flexibly. Examples of flexible working which our staff currently do include job-sharing, working from home and other remote locations, reduced hours, and condensed hours. As part of the FCO's work to improve the diversity of its workforce, we are constantly looking at ways to encourage more flexible working opportunities for staff.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings of the (a) EC-Kazakhstan Co-operation Committee, (b) EC-Azerbaijan Co-operation Committee and (c) EC-Kyrgyzstan Co-operation Committee have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: During the UK presidency, there were no meetings of the Co-operation Committees with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
	A Co-operation Committee with Kyrgyzstan took place on 27 September in Brussels. Mr. Kurt Juul, European Commission, led the EU delegation. Mr. Kadyrbek Sarbaev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, led the Kyrgyzstan delegation. For the Presidency, Mr. Simon Smith, Director Russia, South Caucasus and Central Asia at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, attended. No provision was made for representation of the devolved administrations at this meeting.

Foreign Decorations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for New Forest East of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1558W, on foreign decorations, what the outcome of the Committee's considerations was.

Jack Straw: The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals' recommendations will be presented to the Queen shortly. An announcement about the Pingat Jasa Malaysia will be made as quickly as possible.

Immigration

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications to the UK visas section in Islamabad by persons seeking (a) work permits and (b) visas to come to the UK to take up employment in the restaurant trade have been (i) granted and (ii) refused in each of the last five years; and how many of those refused were granted an appeal.

Kim Howells: It is not currently possible to break down UKvisas statistics on work permit applications by the type of work permit the applicant holds. There are various types of work permit and schemes, of which the Sectors Based Scheme (SBS) is one. The SBS was introduced in May 2003. However, the total number of work permit holder applications received, issued and refused by the visa section in Islamabad in each of the last five years is given as follows. The figures refer to applications for all types of work permit.
	
		
			  Received Issued Refused 
		
		
			 2000 512 474 38 
			 2001–02 863 768 95 
			 2002–03 1,197 1,079 118 
			 2003–04 3,997 2,969 1,028 
			 2004–05 4,496 2,442 2,054 
		
	
	Source:
	UKvisas published statistics (www.ukvisas.gov.uk). Please note that prior to financial year 2001–02, statistics were published by calendar year.
	All applicants for entry clearance as a work permit holder are granted the right of appeal, providing the work permit is valid and the applicant meets any age requirements.

Israeli Activities (West Bank)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors underlay the decision at the recent EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels not to publish the report by the British Consulate in Jerusalem on Israel's expansionist activities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: As my right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said after the 12 December 2005 General Affairs and External Relations Council,
	"we discussed the EU analysis on East Jerusalem submitted to Ministers by heads of mission in the region as well as by various committees here in Brussels. We decided given the changed circumstances in Israel and the Occupied Territories that this would not be endorsed or published and instead that we would continue to make strong representations to the Government of Israel about the matter."

Northern Cyprus

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the purchase and development by British citizens of misappropriated land in Northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Government warns British citizens of the risks of purchasing property in northern Cyprus that arise from the international community's non-recognition of the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", the property implications of any future settlement and the claims to ownership of Cypriots displaced in 1974.
	We further warn British citizens that they may face legal proceedings in the Cypriot courts and elsewhere in the EU, including the UK. The Government strongly advises British citizens to seek independent legal advice. This information is publicly available through our Travel Advice on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk) and given in response to all inquiries.

Terrorist Suspects (Rendition)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for North East Fife of 9 December 2005, Official Report, columns 1652–53W, on terrorist suspects (rendition), whether the US Administration has ever (a) sought permission for and (b) conducted extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects via the UK's (i) dependent territories and (ii) sovereign bases.

Kim Howells: As far as we are aware, the US Administration has neither sought permission to conduct, nor actually conducted, extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects via the UK's Overseas Territories, including the Sovereign Base Areas.

World Trade Organisation

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the EU's proposal for World Trade Organisation negotiations.

Ian Pearson: The European Commission is bound by a negotiating mandate granted by the Council of Ministers but has the freedom to determine strategy and tactics within the parameters of that mandate. The assessment of Her Majesty's Government is that the "offers" tabled by the European Commission on 10 and 28 October are within the remit of the negotiating mandate.
	Her Majesty's Government continues to give its full backing to Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, in his conduct of the negotiations and is committed to achieving an ambitious, pro-development conclusion to the DDA by the end of 2006.
	I refer the hon. Member to the Statement to the House made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 20 December 2005.

Civil Service

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to be in a position to bring forward a Civil Service Bill.

Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 159 to the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright).

Government Information Service

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the running costs of the Government Information Service were in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: The Government Communication Group (GCG) in the Cabinet Office is the central unit now responsible for standards in Government communication, the professional network for Government communicators and cross-departmental co-ordination of communications. Its expenditure and that of its predecessor the Government Information and Communication Service are shown in the table; no figures are available for years before 1998–99. GCG's budget allocation for 2005–06 is £2,388,000.
	
		Expenditure of Government Information and Communication Service £000
		
			  Expenditure 
		
		
			 1998–99 543 
			 1999–2000 513 
			 2000–01 570 
			 2001–02 805 
			 2002–03 4,510 
			 2003–04 2,374 
			 2004–05 1,295 
		
	
	Costs have varied significantly over this period as various functions have been transferred into and out of GCG/GICS and it has taken on new projects. The most significant changes have been:
	responsibility for emergency communications co-ordination from 2001–02 to 2003–04;
	organising HM Queen's Jubilee media facilities in 2002–03;
	the 2005–06 Budget reflects the impact of implementing the Phillis review, an independent review of Government communications, which the Government accepted in 2004 and which established a new Government communication network and a Government communication group, including responsibility for co-ordinating cross-departmental communication issues.

Coca Production

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to facilitate sustainable alternatives to coca production in the Andes region.

Hilary Benn: The most recent bilateral project supported by DFID on coca production in the Andes region was in the Lower Huallaga Valley of Peru, which aimed to promote economic and institutional development and increase rural incomes in order to reduce the illegal cultivation of coca. This six year project with a commitment of £3.2 million ended in December 2004. Assistance in the Andes region is now part of DFID's Regional Assistance Plan for Latin America, working closely with International Finance Institutions (particularly the World Bank and Inter American Development Bank) to improve the poverty impact of their programmes in the region.
	Programmes to develop sustainable alternatives to coca production are an important element of the European Union's assistance to the region, which DFID supports through its 18 per cent. contribution. The EU has Country Assistance Strategies with each Andean region country that are consistent with EU policies and those of country governments. The fight against drugs takes a special place in the EU's relationship with the Andean region, with a unique EU-Andean region High Level Specialised Dialogue on Drugs. The EU has welcomed the recent Comprehensive Andean Strategy on Alternative Development.

Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total staffing level is of his Department's office in Congo; and what the expected level is for 2006–07.

Hilary Benn: The DFID office in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) currently has a complement of 33 permanent members of staff. Staff numbers are due to increase to 35 during 2006.

Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support has been given to the rehabilitation of child soldiers in Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: In April 2002 DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) agreed to use the Africa Conflict Prevention Pooled Fund to channel US$25 million over 5 years, to the World Bank-led regional Multi-country Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (MDRP). This multi-country initiative finances the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Re-integration (DDR) programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among others in the region. The MDRP funds four special sub-projects in the DRC that focus specifically on the demobilisation and reintegration of child soldiers, both boys and girls, into their home communities.
	The most recent review of the MDRP in the DRC, states that as of September 2005, 14,478 child soldiers had been released from armed forces and entrusted to child protection agencies; some 7,794 had been reunified with their families, 5,895 had been reintegrated in the education system, and 4,001 were receiving vocational training.

Consultants

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list departmental projects conducted by consultants in each year since 2000; what the cost was in each case; and what the total cost of employing consultants was in each year.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member for Cheltenham to the answer given on 21 October 2004, Official Report, column 850W, which lists DFID consultancy contracts for the Development Programme to 31 March 2004. I have arranged for the document entitled 'Consultancy Contracts issued from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005' to be placed in the Libraries of the House. This does not include lower-value contracts issued by DFID's overseas offices, of which there is no consolidated central record. It would incur a disproportionate cost to produce a list of those contracts.
	The total cost of consultants in each year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Total cost of consultants (£ million) 
		
		
			 2000–01 194 
			 2001–02 210 
			 2002–03 222 
			 2003–04 215 
			 2004–05 219 
		
	
	Source:
	Statistics on International Development—Date: 3 November 2005.

Departmental Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what percentage of the jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which his Department is responsible are located in (A) Scotland, (B) England, excluding Greater London, (C) Greater London, (D) Wales, (E) Northern Ireland and (F) overseas.

Hilary Benn: The figures regarding job locations are published in Civil Service Statistics and this information is available at the following address on the Cabinet Office Statistics website: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/statistics/civil_ service_statistics/index.asp.
	Within these figures some 453 staff, around a quarter of DFID's home based civil service work force, are currently serving in our offices overseas.
	In addition to the above numbers, DFID also employs 917 staff appointed in country overseas.
	There are no other non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies or other public bodies for which DFID is responsible.

Departmental Staff

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants in his Department worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold centrally comprehensive data on all staff who work from home for at least one day a week and this information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	DFID is committed to providing a working environment which values our work force. One of the ways in which we do this is to make it possible for all staff to balance the demands of work and their commitments outside the office. Flexible working in various forms, including access to home working on a regular or occasional basis, has existed in DFID for some years.

Developing Countries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the aid and debt relief for developing countries in the Communiqué following the G8 summit at Gleneagles is targeted at people living in extreme poverty.

Hilary Benn: Agreement was reached on increasing the volume of official development assistance (ODA) provided by the G8 and other donors by US$50 billion a year by 2010. ODA is defined as aid flows to the poorest countries, as set out in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of ODA recipients. Under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, relief will be delivered to heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) that have demonstrated their commitment to poverty reduction. The additional aid and debt relief will be used to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals that aim to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2010.

Developing Countries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds his Department has provided for pro-poor programmes in developing countries in each of the past 10 years for which records are available, broken down by (a) country and (b) continent.

Hilary Benn: I have arranged to place copies of a document entitled "Expenditure by the Department for International Development on Development Assistance to Developing Countries from 1995/96 to 2004/05", setting out the bilateral expenditure by DFID on Development Assistance to developing countries over the past 10 years in the Libraries of the House. DFID also provides funding to-multilateral institutions which will benefit these developing countries.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings of the EU (a) Committee on implementation of humanitarian aid operations and (b) Joint Committee (EEC-Côte d'Ivoire) have taken place during the UK Presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; what other UK representatives were present; what provision was made for representation of the devolved governments; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Humanitarian Aid Committee (MAC) operates independently of the Presidency. It is convened and chaired by the Commission and is constituted for member states to assist the Commission with implementation of Council Regulation No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid. The EC's humanitarian aid programme provides assistance, relief and protection to victims of natural disasters and man-made crises in third countries, as well as preparedness for risks of natural disasters. It approves annual allocations ("global plans") to countries suffering chronic humanitarian crises, as well as emergency response to disasters. The HAG meets on average, once a month, excluding August. In addition to this, each Presidency usually holds an informal MAC to discuss issues of substance in more detail.
	The Humanitarian Aid Committee has met four times during the UK Presidency, in September, October, November and December. The UK was represented by officials from DFID's Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department. These meetings were chaired by the Commission, either the Director General or Deputy Director of DG the EC Humanitarian Office (ECHO). In October it also met in informal session in London and was then chaired jointly by the ECHO Director General and by DFID's Director of UN Conflict and Humanitarian Division.
	The UK Government take into account the views and interests of the devolved administrations when formulating the UK's policy position on all EU and international issues which touch upon devolved matters. Provision for attendance at EU meetings by Ministers and officials of the devolved administrations is set out in paragraphs 4.12- 15 of the Concordat on Co-ordination of European Union Policy Issues (part of the Memorandum of Understanding between devolved Ministers and the UK Government). Ministers from the devolved administrations have attended and do attend Councils, by agreement with the lead Whitehall Minister, of which copies are available on the internet and can be found at: http://www.dca.gov.uk/constitution/devolution/pubs/odpm_dev_600629.pdf
	We are not aware of any meetings of a joint EEC—Cote d'Ivoire committee.

HIV/AIDS

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the oral answer of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 984 on HIV/AIDS, what policy measures his Department are implementing to ensure that the target of universal access to antiretroviral drugs is met by 2010.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 19 December 2005
	Gleneagles secured an important agreement
	"to develop and implement a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care, with the aim of as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010".
	Progress has been made since Gleneagles. The universal access commitment was also agreed by members states at the Millennium Summit in September. Building on these commitments, the Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have set up a Global Steering Committee (GSC), co-chaired by the UK and UNAIDS. The focus of the GSC will be to clarify and prioritise the major obstacles that impede scale-up of prevention, treatment, care and support services in individual countries and communities and to identify appropriate solutions and actions. The GSC will meet for the first time in Washington DC on 9–10 January 2006 and is expected to provide a progress report to the High Level UN General Assembly Special Session in mid 2006.
	The initial GSC discussions will focus on:
	Adequate financing for scaled up AIDS responses (including addressing the macroeconomic constraints).
	Human resource capacity and health, social and education system constraints.
	Affordable commodities and low-cost technologies.
	Human rights, stigma, discrimination and gender equity.
	The role of targets and milestones in driving national efforts to scale up AIDS responses.
	Internationally, there is a strong, shared commitment to joint action on universal access and that efforts must:
	be country-owned and country-led;
	develop a package which balances treatment, prevention and care—a comprehensive response is essential to achieve the ambitious 2010 goal;
	situate actions to achieve Universal Access in wider efforts to eradicate poverty, strengthening broader services, including health services;
	involve all key players: civil society, private sector, donors and affected countries.

Humanitarian Programmes

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps have been taken by his Department in support of the UN's appeal for $4.7 billion to fund humanitarian programmes in 2006.

Hilary Benn: The United Nations Humanitarian Appeal 2006, covers 26 countries and seeks to support some 231 million people worldwide. We are considering the various Consolidated Appeals and Country Plans in consultation with other donors and will decide on an appropriate United Kingdom contribution to the respective Appeals and Plans shortly.
	In conjunction with some other donors, DFID is piloting a more flexible way of funding the appeals in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. We intend to provide significant contributions to both, as unearmarked funding for the United Nations Humanitarian Co-ordinator to deploy on the highest priority unmet needs in the appeal. We have also pledged £40 million to the reformed Central Emergency Response Fund that was launched at the United Nations Millennium Review summit, as a way of promoting faster response and greater equity in humanitarian funding. This will be available for the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator to deploy on underfunded appeals, as well as on new crises that arise.

Public Service Agreements

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what systems are in place to measure his Department's progress against its public service agreement targets; and what baselines are used.

Hilary Benn: Progress against the Department for International Development's public service agreement (PSA) targets is assessed twice-yearly in DFID's autumn performance reports and departmental reports. The most recent analysis of progress against the Department for International Development's public service agreement (PSA) targets for the period 2003 to 2006 was published in the autumn performance report 2005, which was laid before Parliament on 9 December 2005. It is available both in hard copy in the Libraries of the House and electronically on DFID's website (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/autumnperfreport05.pdf).
	The technical note to DFID's 2005–08 public service agreement provides full details of the indicators and methodologies which are used to monitor performance against the targets. The technical note is available on DFID's website www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/PSA/technicalnotes.pdf
	Both the twice-yearly reports and the technical note contain information on the baselines used for DFID's PSA targets.

Rwanda

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the cost to Rwanda of refugees from the war in eastern Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Rwanda has established a National Council for Refugees, linked to the Ministry for Local Government and Community Affairs. The Council has responsibility for verifying the status of refugees, for refugee welfare and safety including resettlement, and where appropriate for repatriation. The Council estimates that there are up to 40,000 Congolese refugees currently in Rwanda.
	The Council does not have a large budget but relies mostly on funding from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR's office in Rwanda estimates costs related to the care and maintenance of Congolese refugees in Rwanda to be about US $26,826,000 over the past five years. Annual programme expenditure figures (in US$) are as follows:
	
		
			  US$ 
		
		
			 2000 3,619,591 
			 2001 4,143,936 
			 2002 3,634,261 
			 2003 3,736,246 
			 2004 3,894,721 
			 2005 4,178,046 
		
	
	These figures do not include Government of Rwanda or UNHCR staff costs.

World Trade Organisation Summit

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent World Trade Organisation talks.

Hilary Benn: I refer my hon. Friend for Coventry South to the statement made to the House on 20 December 2005, Official Report, columns 1710–12, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, (Mr. Alan Johnson).

Congo (Peacekeeping Forces)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution has been made by the UK to the UN peacekeeping forces in the Congo for each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The UK provided five officers to the UN Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) in 2004. Our contribution increased to six in early 2005 on the reorganisation of the force structure and remains at that level. The British officers fill key influential posts, notably that of Chief of Staff in the eastern division headquarters in Kisangani and military adviser to the force commander. On short term attachments, we provided two officers to assist in training the eastern division headquarters staffs in late January 2005 and one officer to an UN intelligence assessment mission to MONUC in mid-April 2005.

Defence Systems and Equipment Exhibition

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies at the Defence Systems and Equipment International 2005 exhibition exhibited (a) stun guns, (b) leg irons and (c) stun batons; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The DTI is not responsible for authorising displays at this exhibition, and the question should be referred to the organisers.
	The DTI's role is limited to the issue of export licences where these are required, e.g. for the re-export of goods on display after the exhibition, or the promotion of trade in controlled or restricted goods between third countries. On that basis, we are not aware of the display of any of the goods specified.

Departmental Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research projects commissioned by his Department are being undertaken; and what the publication arrangements are in each case.

Adam Ingram: Details of the Ministry of Defence's research programme are contained in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts. A copy of this document is available in the Library of the House.
	The Ministry of Defence placed research work worth around £524 million in 2003–04, the last year for which figures are available. Most research projects generate classified data and are not published in the open literature but form the basis of decisions on policy, planning and future equipment procurement. Areas of general academic interest, where appropriate, are published in relevant journals.

Departmental Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of each Civil Service grade in his Department is located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; what the average salary is for each grade; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) will write to the hon. Member with details for the civil service of the percentage of staff in post by region and grade responsibility and the median salary of staff in post by region and grade responsibility as at 1 April 2004. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Freedom of Information

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to his Department which have been passed to the FOI clearing house for evaluation, broken down by (a) subject and (b) date of request.

Don Touhig: Information about the handling of Freedom of Information requests is published in "Freedom of Information Statistics on Implementation in Central Government". The most recently published report was 30 September 2005, copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Additional information about the role of the Clearing House can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/guidance/index.htm#2. Departments do not release information about the internal handling of requests, such as details of which requests were referred to the Clearing House for guidance.

Harassment Investigations

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what timetable has been drawn up for each stage of the review of recordkeeping on sexual harassment in the armed forces in order to ensure completion by the end of the year; if he will make a statement when he publishes the Defence Information Notice and policy letter to the armed forces; and if he will place a copy of these documents in the Library;
	(2)  what conclusion he has reached on the scope for setting a revised target for the completion of all formal harassment investigations within a period of less than 69 days; on what date he issued a Ministry of Defence policy letter on this issue; and if he will place a copy of the letter in the Library;
	(3)  what date he issued a Ministry of Defence policy letter on arrangements for confidential follow-up checks with individuals making complaints of sexual harassment in the armed forces; and if he will place a copy of the letter in the Library.

Don Touhig: The review of record keeping was completed ahead of schedule and a Defence Information Notice (2005DIN02–244: Armed Forces Unit Equality and Diversity Log) was published on 1 December 2005. This document details a tri-service standard for: the recording of incidents and complaints of bullying and harassment; the turnaround time for commanding officers to investigate and consider complaints at unit level (30 days); and arrangements for follow-up checks to be completed four weeks after the conclusion of a complaint. I will place a copy of the Defence Information Notice in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 November, (PQ 17735/17745) by what means the reports referred to were received; what the original sources of the information were; and what action has been taken as a consequence of these reports.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 28 November 2005
	I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer. For reasons of operational security, we do not comment on intelligence matters.

Iraq

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) of 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1787W, on Iraq, how much was spent in each month; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: The costs of operations are calculated on a net additional basis and audited figures are published each year in the Ministry of Defence's annual report and accounts. Expenditure varies depending on troop numbers and activities and cannot therefore sensibly be broken down on a monthly basis. Further to the answer of 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1787W, I can however offer some further breakdown in the audited costs as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2002–03  
			 Operations in Iraq 629 
			 Expenditure on capital equipment 218 
			 Total 847 
			   
			 2003–04  
			 Operations in Iraq 1,051 
			 Expenditure on capital equipment 260 
			 Total 1,311 
			   
			 2004–05  
			 Operations in Iraq 747 
			 Expenditure on capital equipment 163 
			 Total 910 
			 Grand total 3,068

Military Exports/Aid (Maldives)

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) number and (b) value of UK (i) military exports and (ii) aid to the Maldives in each year since 2000.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, which contain information, by destination, on export licensing decisions, and on the value of exports of military equipment from the United Kingdom. The Annual Reports are available from the Library of the House.
	As for military aid or assistance, following the Tsunami of 26 December last year, 13 Royal Navy engineers deployed to the Maldives in January to assist the Maldivian National Disaster Management Centre and the State Electricity Company in surveying the national power and distribution systems and help repair generators. Following the subsequent gifting of two ex-MOD landing craft to the Maldivian Government, two Royal Marine instructors deployed to Male to familiarise the Maldivian National Security Services with landing craft operating and servicing. Otherwise, military assistance to the Maldives since 2000 has been limited to a few Maldivian military personnel attending non-combatant UK training courses.

Nuclear Weapons

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the UK nuclear arsenal operates on a hair-trigger alert; and how long the UK would have to decide whether to retaliate in the case of a possible launch of a nuclear attack.

John Reid: The operational posture of the UK's nuclear forces is set out in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review at paragraphs 66–68. They do not operate on a so-called-'hair-trigger alert', but are-normally at several days 'notice to fire'. We do not comment on hypothetical scenarios involving the possible use of nuclear weapons; our course of action in any particular situation would depend on all the relevant circumstances.

Nuclear Weapons

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his evidence to the Defence Select Committee on 1 November, whether the destructive power of the UK's nuclear force has been reduced in line with the 70 per cent. reduction in fire power referred to.

John Reid: Yes. I refer my hon. Friend to the Strategic Defence Review, paragraph 64, and the associated chart.

Protective Armour

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many appliqué protective armour kits are available to protect troop carriers, logistic vehicles and patrol cars in Iraq;
	(2)  how many appliqué armour kits for cab floors are available for fitting on logistics vehicles.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 December 2005
	To date, for operations in Iraq, there are 168 ballistic protection kits, which include ballistic floor covering, available for logistics vehicles. The Warrior armoured personnel carrier has bespoke fitted armour. However, a requirement for 99 sets of additional armoured protection has been met and a further 14 sets are on order. Appliqué protective armour kits are not being provided for the Snatch Land Rovers used for patrol duties as they have integral ballistic protection.

Regimental Headquarters

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regular regiments of the (a) Army Air Corps, (b) Royal Engineers, (c) Royal Armoured Corps, (d) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (e) Royal Regiment of Artillery are (i) based and (ii) have their headquarters in Scotland.

Adam Ingram: None of these regiments is based in or has its headquarters in Scotland.

Senior-level Meetings (Instructions)

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions he has issued to senior members of the armed forces on discussions and meetings they may have with hon. and right hon. Members; and whether guidance has been altered in the past two years.

Adam Ingram: No such instructions have been issued to senior members of the armed forces. However, central guidance exists for all members of the armed forces on dealing with enquiries from Members of Parliament and on visits by Members of Parliament to Defence establishments.

Taxis

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department on taxi travel in the 2005–06 financial year; and what proportion of such travel was undertaken in each nation and region of the UK, including London.

Don Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 19 July 2005, Official Report, column 1541W and 23 June 2005, Official Report, column 1146W, to the hon. and learned Member for Monmouth (Mr. Davies). Additionally, the Department does not record in which nation or region of the UK, including London, the expenditure is incurred.

Administrative Savings

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what administrative savings have been made by her Department in each of the last eight years.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the information published on gross and net controlled administration costs underspends for Whitehall departments which is published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Papers for the relevant years. These are available in the Library of the House.
	Efficiency gains are being made as part of the Spending Review 2004 efficiency programme by the Department as set out in the Efficiency Technical Notes which are available on the Departmental website.

Child Pornography

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer by the hon. Member for Wythenshawe and Sale, East (Paul Goggins) on 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 591W, on child pornography, when she expects to introduce changes to Schedule 3 to the Data Protection Act 1998 to enable payment card companies legitimately to hold and process sensitive data concerning an individual and their convictions, with particular reference to purchasing child pornography on the internet.

Harriet Harman: My department continues to work with colleagues across Government and with the Association for Payment Clearing Services to take forward the amendment of Schedule 3 of the Data Protection. Once this work is complete the amendment will be placed before Parliament when legislative time allows.

Compensation Bill

James McGovern: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when her Department plans to publish its proposals for a possible exemption for trades unions from the claims management proposals contained in the Compensation Bill [Lords].

Bridget Prentice: The Compensation Bill will provide the legislative framework to introduce the statutory regulation of claims management activities. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, announced at Second Reading of the Compensation Bill (HL) the Government's intention to exempt trade unions and that such an exemption may be subject to conditions, including a requirement to have regard to the code of practice issued by the new regulator. Exemptions will be a matter for secondary legislation and the Government will take account of Peers' and Members' views on appropriate conditions during the passage of the Bill.

Departmental Expenditure

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total value is of (a) catering and (b) entertainment contracts let by her Department; and what value of such contracts has been let in each nation and region of the UK, including London.

Harriet Harman: My Department holds a number of catering contracts mainly to provide services to jurors, others using the courts and staff. Those contracts also provide for refreshments at official meetings and working lunches. The Department does not hold any separate entertainment contracts.
	The total paid to contractors to date for the period January to December 2005 is £1,795,509. Of that total £1,409,176 was to subsidise mainstream catering services and £386,333 was expended on refreshments for officially hosted events, meetings and working lunches. This is broken down by regions in the following table:
	
		
			£ 
			 Region Subsidy Official events Total 
		
		
			 North and North Wales 268,471 — 268,471 
			 Midlands and South Wales 199,843 3,274 203,117 
			 London 461,816 378,559 840,375 
			 South East and Western 479,046 4,500 483,546 
			 Total 1,409,176 386,333 1,795,509 
		
	
	The figure for expenditure on official events in the North and North Wales is not recorded separately and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent on advertising by (a) her Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) Executive agency for which her Department is responsible and (c) each independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by her Department in each year since May 1997.

Harriet Harman: Since its inception in June 2003 my Department, the Department for Constitutional Affairs, has conducted seven media advertising campaigns: a regional poster campaign on buses to promote recruitment to the lay magistracy, radio and press adverts to target court fine defaulters (under the title Operation Payback), press adverts to promote postal voting fraud prevention, and a press, radio and poster campaign to promote recruitment to the lay magistracy.
	Figures for our agencies, non-departmental public bodies, and bodies financially sponsored by my Department are not held centrally. To get the information would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Project Expenditure on advertising 
		
		
			 2003  
			 Operation Payback (Phase 1) 230,000 
			 Magistrate recruitment 342,000 
			   
			 2004  
			 Operation Payback (Phase 2) 292,000 
			 Magistrate recruitment 102,000 
			   
			 2005  
			 Postal voting 185,270 
			 Magistrate recruitment 741,000 
			 Operation Payback (Phase 3) 263,082

Departmental Finance

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by her Department in 2004–05 in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London.

Harriet Harman: The value (to the nearest £000, excluding VAT) of public opinion research contracts covering the United Kingdom as a whole was £280,000; covering England and Wales £998,000; covering areas of England £40,000; and covering South West England £26,000; no contracts were awarded for public relations.

Disability

Danny Alexander: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether she will make a statement on the initial activity undertaken by the Department in response to those recommendations in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People where lead responsibility was assigned to all Government departments.

Harriet Harman: This Department has responded positively to the recommendations of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report; for example, work has commenced on the Disability Equality Scheme, which will be completed by the end of December 2006. There was initial input from disabled members of the judiciary, members of staff and users of the Department's services. There will be further reviews of the Scheme by people with disabilities before the final publication. The document will detail the Department's promotion of disability issues internally, accessibility to buildings, communication, procurement, recruitment, and the support to members of the judiciary with disabilities.
	An annual report will be issued, reporting on the progress of the action plans contained within the Scheme.
	The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) will also report annually to the Prime Minister on cross-government progress in implementing the Strategy Unit report, "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People". The first report is due to be published by summer 2006. It will contain an assessment of the initial activity undertaken by the ODI to fulfil its specific responsibilities, which require the active involvement of other Government Departments. It will also include an assessment of the initial activity undertaken by the Department for Constitutional Affairs and other Government Departments to fulfil the responsibilities they have outside of the ODI remit.

Electoral Reform

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent representations her Department has received on reform of the first-past-the-post electoral system.

Harriet Harman: Over the 3-month period 1 October 2005 to 31 December 2005 the DCA received 16 letters from members of the public and also two parliamentary questions on voting systems reform and review.

Electoral Registration

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent estimate she has made of electoral registration levels among ethnic minorities.

Harriet Harman: The Electoral Commission's 2005 report "Understanding Electoral Registration" contained an analysis of the electoral registers at 1 December 2000. This included the estimate that 17 per cent. of people from minority ethnic groups in England and Wales were not registered to vote in 2000. The equivalent figure for the white population was 6 per cent.
	However, these estimates do not explicitly take account of electoral non-eligibility on grounds of nationality. In order to register to vote in the UK, resident adults are required to hold UK, Irish, Commonwealth or EU nationality.

Gravesend and Dartford County Courts

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the current waiting time is from allocation to hearing for small claims at the Gravesend and Dartford county courts.

Harriet Harman: The current performance data (October 2005) is showing the average waiting time for small claims at Gravesend county court to be five weeks from application to hearing. The performance indicator for cases heard in small claims courts is currently 78 per cent. of cases to be heard within 15 weeks. Gravesend county court is currently operating 100 per cent. effective.

Joint Ministerial Sub-Committees

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the operation and staffing of the joint ministerial sub-committees between the Scottish Executive and UK departments;
	(2)  if she will list the joint ministerial sub-committees between the Scottish Executive and UK Departments; and how many staff are assigned to service each.

Bridget Prentice: The Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements (Cm 5240) allows for the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) to meet in various "functional" formats to discuss specific policy areas. At present, the JMC exists in four such formats: Health, Poverty, Knowledge Economy and Europe. Of these four, the JMC on Europe meets most regularly. As described in the Memorandum of Understanding the Secretariat to these Committees is provided by the UK Cabinet Office and the devolved administrations, although in practice the Secretariat to the JMCs on Health, Poverty and Knowledge Economy is provided by my department. There is no specific group of civil servants assigned to the Secretariat; instead staff from appropriate areas service the Committees as necessary.

Parliamentary Constituencies

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she expects the new parliamentary constituency boundaries will come into effect.

Harriet Harman: The Boundary Commission for England is required to submit its report by April 2007. Under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, the report will then be brought before Parliament "as soon as may be". If agreed by Parliament, the report's recommendations will come into force at the next General Election.

Commercial Property

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new commercial leases have been offered on a contracted-out basis since their introduction.

Yvette Cooper: Landlords and tenants have been able to agree to contract out of security of tenure since 1970. Since 1 June 2004, they have been able to do so without prior court approval, but subject to new safeguards for tenants involving the issue of "health warning" notices.
	There are no records of how many new commercial leases have been offered on a contracted-out basis since the new procedures were introduced. We do not expect the new procedures by themselves to change the pattern of contracting out.
	The new contracting out procedures were part of a package of reforms to Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 introduced by a Regulatory Reform Order made in 2003. We are currently reviewing the impact of the reforms, with a view to reporting back shortly to the Regulatory Reform Committee.

Council Expenditure

Adam Holloway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of spending by (a) Kent county council and (b) Gravesham borough council will be financed from council tax in (i) 2006–07 and (ii) 2007–08.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not yet available. Authorities will not be setting council taxes for 2006–07 until early in 2006, with council taxes for 2007–08 not set until early 2007.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Government plan to cap council tax bills for pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Government have made it clear that they expect to see an average increase in council tax in England of less than 5 per cent. in each of the next two years and are prepared to use their capping powers against excessive increases.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister look forward to receiving the final report of Sir Michael Lyon's independent inquiry into local government funding, in the context of its wider functions and future role before the end of 2006. We will consider how council tax may best be reformed in the light of Sir Michael's recommendations.

Departmental Contracts

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total value is of (a) catering and (b) entertainment contracts let by his Department; and what value of such contracts has been let in each nation and region of the United Kingdom, including London.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the following table shows how much the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister central spent on catering, hospitality and official entertainment for the period 1 April 2005 to date. These figures do not include any from the Government Offices which perform functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.
	
		
			  £ 
			 1 April 2005 to date Amount spent 
		
		
			 Catering 186,357 
			 Entertainment 129 
			 Hospitality 35,332 
			 Total 221,818

Departmental Projects

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects are planned by his Office in (i) 2005–06 and (ii) 2006–07; and what the expected costs are of each project.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has the following building and refurbishment projects being undertaken in 2005–06 and planned for in 2006–07.
	
		
			 £000 
			  2005–06 2006–07 
			  Expected building cost Expected refurbishment cost Expected building cost Expected refurbishment cost 
		
		
			 Allington Towers—London 
			 Fit-out costs — 330 — — 
			  
			 Eland House—London 
			 Refurbishment of passenger lifts (DDA requirement) — 250 — — 
			 Rebrigading ODPM occupation — l,621 — 4,705 
			 Ashdown House—London 
			 Refurbishment of passenger lifts (DDA requirement) — 170 — — 
			  
			 Burlington House—London 
			 External repairs to grade2 listed building. — 2,424 — 714 
			  
			 QEII Conference Centre 
			 Refurbishment of passenger lift (DDA requirement) — — — 100 
			  
			 Fire Service College—Moreton-in-Marsh 
			 Refurbishment of student restaurant. — 216 — — 
			 Refurbishment of student coffee bar and lounge. — — — 59 
			 Refurbishment of muster bay — — — 107 
			  
			 New Dimension project 
			 Provision of storage 300 — — — 
		
	
	The figures provided, which exclude VAT, are gross expenditure and do not reflect receipts from other building occupants.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has defined refurbishment projects to be upgrading and efficiency projects exceeding £100,000.
	This answer does not include buildings occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Homelessness

Anne Milton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many homeless households in (a) Guildford, (b) Waverley and (c) Surrey were living in (i) temporary accommodation and (ii) sleeping rough in each of the past five years;
	(2)  how many beds were available for homeless households in (a) Guildford, (b) Waverley and (c) Surrey in each of the past five years.

Yvette Cooper: Information about the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation as at 31 March, and the number of persons sleeping rough, in each of the past five years is tabled as follows for Guildford, Waverley and Surrey.
	Each local authority in England has a duty to provide accommodation to households who have been accepted as homeless and are owed a main housing duty under homelessness legislation. If the authority cannot provide a settled solution straight away the household will be placed in temporary accommodation. For this reason, authorities will not have a set number of beds for homeless households.
	
		Households in temporary accommodation(47) arranged by local authorities under homelessness provisions of Housing Acts, and numbers of persons sleeping rough(48)
		
			  Households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March  Rough sleepers 
		
		
			 2001   
			 Guildford 164 1 
			 Waverley 132 0 
			 All LAs in Surrey 1,010 2 
			
			 2002   
			 Guildford 181 1 
			 Waverley (49)— 0 
			 All LAs in Surrey 1,060 2 
			
			 2003   
			 Guildford 180 0 
			 Waverley 116 0 
			 All LAs in Surrey 1,020 0 
			
			 2004   
			 Guildford 160 0 
			 Waverley 107 0 
			 All LAs in Surrey 930 0 
			
			 2005   
			 Guildford 111 0 
			 Waverley 80 0 
			 All LAs in Surrey 1,030 0 
		
	
	(47) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as "homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative housing as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
	(48) Number of persons sleeping rough, based on local authority mid-year counts or estimates.
	(49) Denotes data not reported. Figures for Surrey, which include estimates for partial and non-response, have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly) and HSSA returns (annual)

Homelessness

Anne Milton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  when he last met representatives of Crisis to discuss homelessness among those people housing authorities are not legally obliged to accept as homeless;
	(2)  when the Government last carried out research on the extent of homelessness;
	(3)  what plans the Government have to carry out research to establish how many people are living (a) in bed and breakfast accommodation, (b) in hostels, (c) temporarily with families and friends, (d) in other temporary accommodation and (e) sleeping rough; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Officials within the ODPM meet regularly with Crisis and I would be happy to meet with them should the situation arise.
	In relation to undertaking detailed research on the extent of homelessness, ODPM measures homelessness primarily through local authority statistics on the numbers of households seeking homelessness assistance and through counts and estimates of rough sleeping. These are the most robust and consistent measures of the problem and of changes over time. We are constantly improving them and we conduct other regular surveys to measure other indicators of housing need, such as overcrowding through the annual Survey of English Housing. This data is published and available free of charge from the ODPM website at www.odpm.gov.uk. Link: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l154759.
	In addition, the Homelessness Act 2002 requires every local housing authority in England in have in place a strategy for preventing and tackling homelessness among all households at risk of homelessness, including for those to whom they do not owe a statutory duty to house. Every authority published its first strategies in 2003.
	The latest National Statistics on statutory homelessness, published on 12 December, showed 100,970 households in some form of temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation as at 30 September 2005. Of this total, 6,290 were in bed and breakfast style units, and 9,870 were in hostels or women's refuges; all the remaining 84,810 households were in some form of self- contained accommodation, the majority of which was leased from the private sector or owned by social landlords.
	In addition to the 100,970 households in temporary accommodation on 30 September, there were a further 16,020 households who were "homeless at home", that is awaiting a settled housing solution, having previously been accepted as owed a main homelessness duty but able to remain in their current accommodation for the immediate future.
	Latest estimates and street counts, as at June 2005, indicate there were 459 people sleeping rough in England on any single night. This is the lowest recorded level since the count began in 1998.

Homelessness

Richard Burden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how he defines the term temporary accommodation for the purpose of setting targets for local authorities to reduce the number of homeless families in temporary accommodation.

Yvette Cooper: For the purpose of the 2010 target, "temporary accommodation" means any accommodation secured by an English local housing authority to discharge a power or duty to secure accommodation under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 (the "homelessness legislation"). This can be distinguished from the provision of settled accommodation (whether in the social or private rented sectors) that brings a homelessness duty to an end.

Housing

Paul Keetch: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department has taken to assist low-income rural families to access adequate housing.

Yvette Cooper: This Government believes everyone should have access to decent housing at a price they can afford, including those in rural communities. To assist those on low incomes and key workers in such communities last year (2004–05) we invested over £200 million in new affordable homes.
	On 5 December we published new draft planning policy statement 3: "Housing" (PPS3) for consultation. This exhorts local planning authorities (LPAs) to make sufficient land available for affordable and market housing to sustain rural communities. It encourages LPAs in rural areas to adopt policies that deliver sufficient affordable housing and mixed and sustainable rural communities, for example through setting a lower site-size threshold than the indicative threshold of 15 dwellings. Draft PPS3 enables LPAs to provide for affordable housing of a specific size and type, so that housing provision addresses the identified affordable housing need in particular areas.
	We are conscious though that this is only part of the picture. The issues driving affordability in rural areas are complex and include a range of stakeholders outside Government. This is why in the summer we set up the Affordable Rural Housing Commission. We have asked the Commission to consider the evidence and reach consensus on the relevant issues around affordable housing needs in rural areas, in the context of sustainable communities, and to provide recommendations for practical solutions across private, Government, and voluntary sectors, taking account of good practice. The Commission is currently gathering evidence and will report in spring 2006.

Housing

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on initiatives to improve housing quality for older people with particular reference to affordable (a) heating and (b) security and safety.

Yvette Cooper: The Government has set a target to bring all social housing into decent condition and to increase the proportion of private housing in decent condition occupied by vulnerable groups. Under the thermal comfort criterion element of the Decent Home standard, homes should have effective insulation and efficient heating. Older householders are among those who will benefit from these measures.
	The Government's Warm Front Scheme in England provides a range of heating and insulation measures to householders and tenants in the private sector, including pensioner households, who are in receipt of certain benefits. Where a new central heating system is installed, customers are provided with guidance on the efficient use of the system. There are similar schemes in place in each of the Devolved Administrations.
	In the pre-Budget report, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that an additional £300 million would be made available to tackle fuel poverty across the UK. In England, an additional £250 million will be made available to boost the Warm Front Scheme and extend its ability to provide central heating to pensioner households, and also to provide £300 off the cost of a central heating system for all other pensioners.
	With the implementation of Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004 in April 2006, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) will replace the fitness standard as the basis for intervention against unacceptable housing conditions and will also become an element of the Decent Home standard. To be decent, a dwelling will need to be free of serious ("category 1") health and safety hazards, including serious hazards from entry by intruders, as assessed under HHSRS. This means that landlords, including local authorities and other social landlords, will need to take reasonable steps to ensure that their properties are secure against unauthorised entry.
	Local authorities can offer assistance in the form of grants, loans or advice towards any kind of repair, adaptation or improvement work. The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) helps fund adaptations to enable disabled people to live as comfortably and independently as possible in their homes. 70 per cent. of DFG applications come from older people.
	Support and assistance for older people in accessing funding and arranging works can also be obtained from Home Improvement Agencies (HIAs), for whom Government provides support through sponsorship of a National Co-ordinating Body—Foundations—and funding from a range of sources including the Supporting People programme.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list local authorities from which housing revenue account funds were transferred in each of the last three years, broken down by amount.

Yvette Cooper: A table showing the list of local authorities covered by the housing revenue account subsidy system, together with their subsidy entitlements, both negative and positive, in the years 2003–04 to 2005–06 inclusive has been placed in the Library of the House. The figures are subject to audit.
	Transfers from an authority are indicated by negative amounts. Where an authority has been in receipt of subsidy, those amounts are shown as positive amounts to distinguish them from authorities that have closed their housing revenue accounts, which are marked "n/a" in the appropriate years.
	In each of the three years, some authorities have contributed to the system, while others have received resources. In none of the years have surpluses met the full cost of deficits. We expect that payments to deficit authorities will continue to exceed resources redistributed from surplus authorities throughout this period. This means that there will be a continuing net subsidy to council housing.

Local Government Finance

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will rank shire counties in England by the (a) percentage increase and (b) cash increase in formula grant awarded in the Local Government Finance Settlement for (i) 2006–07 and (ii) 2007–08.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		PQ 2761: Change in formula grant for 2006–07 and 2007–08
		
			 Local authority Change in 2006–07 Net change in 2006–07 
			  Change Percentage change Change Percentage change 
			 Shire counties £ million Rank % Rank £ million Rank % Rank 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire 1.620 29/34 2.7 22/34 1.188 32/34 2.0 30/34 
			 Buckinghamshire 1.671 28/34 3.5 8/34 0.964 34/34 2.0 24/34 
			 Cambridgeshire 1.930 24/34 2.1 30/34 1.959 20/34 2.1 18/34 
			 Cheshire 2.398 22/34 2.8 19/34 1.705 23/34 2.0 27/34 
			 Cornwall 3.516 13/34 3.0 16/34 3.266 10/34 2.8 10/34 
			 Cumbria 3.380 14/34 3.3 13/34 3.060 11/34 3.0 6/34 
			 Derbyshire 4.345 7/34 3.4 10/34 3.728 6/34 3.0 7/34 
			 Devon 2.963 17/34 2.5 24/34 2.583 14/34 2.2 13/34 
			 Dorset 1.806 26/34 6.4 1/34 1.551 28/34 5.5 1/34 
			 Durham 3.517 12/34 2.7 23/34 3.442 8/34 2.6 12/34 
			 East Sussex 1.564 31/34 2.0 34/34 1.608 25/34 2.1 20/34 
			 Essex 5.513 3/34 2.8 20/34 3.966 5/34 2.0 28/34 
			 Gloucestershire 2.685 19/34 3.0 15/34 1.939 21/34 2.2 16/34 
			 Hampshire 4.015 11/34 3.5 9/34 2.361 18/34 2.0 25/34 
			 Hertfordshire 4.015 10/34 2.8 21/34 2.899 12/34 2.0 29/34 
			 Kent 5.491 4/34 2.5 25/34 4.443 3/34 2.0 31/34 
			 Lancashire 6.698 1/34 3.1 14/34 6.047 2/34 2.8 9/34 
			 Leicestershire 2.229 23/34 2.9 17/34 1.557 27/34 2.0 26/34 
			 Lincolnshire 5.196 5/34 3.9 4/34 4.053 4/34 3.0 5/34 
			 Norfolk 6.508 2/34 4.0 3/34 6.169 1/34 3.8 2/34 
			 North Yorkshire 2.707 18/34 3.7 7/34 2.543 15/34 3.5 3/34 
			 Northamptonshire 2.587 20/34 2.1 28/34 2.464 17/34 2.0 32/34 
			 Northumberland 1.768 27/34 2.2 26/34 1.623 24/34 2.0 22/34 
			 Nottinghamshire 4.168 8/34 3.4 11/34 3.346 9/34 2.7 11/34 
			 Oxfordshire 1.885 25/34 2.1 29/34 1.839 22/34 2.1 21/34 
			 Shropshire 1.146 34/34 2.2 27/34 1.114 33/34 2.1 17/34 
			 Somerset 3.104 16/34 3.8 6/34 2.650 13/34 3.2 4/34 
			 Staffordshire 3.280 15/34 2.9 18/34 2.489 16/34 2.2 15/34 
			 Suffolk 4.147 9/34 3.4 12/34 3.592 7/34 2.9 8/34 
			 Surrey 5.022 6/34 5.1 2/34 2.028 19/34 2.1 19/34 
			 Warwickshire 1.528 32/34 2.1 31/34 1.462 29/34 2.0 33/34 
			 West Sussex 1.586 30/34 2.0 33/34 1.573 26/34 2.0 34/34 
			 Wiltshire 1.215 33/34 2.1 32/34 1.294 31/34 2.2 14/34 
			 Worcestershire 2.571 21/34 3.8 5/34 1.367 30/34 2.0 23/34 
		
	
	
		
			 Local authority Change in 2007–08 
			  Change Percentage change 
			 Shire counties £ million Rank % Rank 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire 1.632 32/34 2.7 32/34 
			 Buckinghamshire 1.319 34/34 2.7 34/34 
			 Cambridgeshire 2.528 22/34 2.7 24/34 
			 Cheshire 2.341 25/34 2.7 26/34 
			 Cornwall 6.068 8/34 5.0 9/34 
			 Cumbria 5.667 10/34 5.4 7/34 
			 Derbyshire 7.567 4/34 5.8 4/34 
			 Devon 4.441 14/34 3.7 13/34 
			 Dorset 2.794 20/34 9.3 1/34 
			 Durham 6.522 5/34 4.9 10/34 
			 East Sussex 2.152 27/34 2.7 28/34 
			 Essex 5.442 11/34 2.7 19/34 
			 Gloucestershire 3.230 19/34 3.5 16/34 
			 Hampshire 3.241 18/34 2.7 22/34 
			 Hertfordshire 3.977 16/34 2.7 20/34 
			 Kent 6.073 7/34 2.7 18/34 
			 Lancashire 10.379 2/34 4.7 12/34 
			 Leicestershire 2.122 28/34 2.7 29/34 
			 Lincolnshire 7.641 3/34 5.5 6/34 
			 Norfolk 11.929 1/34 7.1 2/34 
			 North Yorkshire 4.538 13/34 6.0 3/34 
			 Northamptonshire 3.372 17/34 2.7 21/34 
			 Northumberland 2.454 23/34 3.0 17/34 
			 Nottinghamshire 6.033 9/34 4.7 11/34 
			 Oxfordshire 2.448 24/34 2.7 25/34 
			 Shropshire 1.875 31/34 3.5 15/34 
			 Somerset 4.945 12/34 5.8 5/34 
			 Staffordshire 4.306 15/34 3.7 14/34 
			 Suffolk 6.408 6/34 5.0 8/34 
			 Surrey 2.786 21/34 2.7 23/34 
			 Warwickshire 2.005 29/34 2.7 30/34 
			 West Sussex 2.160 26/34 2.7 27/34 
			 Wiltshire 1.619 33/34 2.7 33/34 
			 Worcestershire 1.877 30/34 2.7 31/34 
		
	
	Note:
	Counties have been ranked in decreasing order, i.e. those with the lowest rank are the authorities with the highest increase.

Local Government Finance

Peter Luff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what account he took of the annual percentage change in the Retail Price Index over the 10 years to 2007–08 when setting formula grant levels.

Phil Woolas: In 1998–99, Central Support Protection Grant was introduced for the first time. This grant protected authorities from cash decreases in their formula grant for the first time. In 2001–02, Floor Damping was introduced for authorities with education and social service responsibility. The following year, i.e. 2002–03, this was introduced for all authorities.
	Under the floor damping regime, the floor is self-financing within each of the authority groups covered by the scheme. This means that it is not possible to set the floor above the level of the average grant increase for that group on a like-for-like basis. When setting the level of the floor Ministers take into account a number of factors including the level of inflation expected for the period covered by the grant, the average grant increase for the group, and the scaling factor imposed on authorities above the floor. The measure of inflation used in deciding at what level the floor should be set is the GDP deflator, as this measure is forecast by Treasury, and hence is available for the period covered by the grant.

Planning Controls

Tim Yeo: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the guidance given in his Office's Planning Policy Statement 7 on development ancillary to the enjoyment of a domestic dwelling, with particular reference to development in the setting of a listed building where development might have been permitted under the Town and Country Planning Act Permitted Development Order, save for the listed status of the building.

Yvette Cooper: The Government's planning policy in Planning Policy Statement 7 (PPS7), 'Sustainable Development in Rural Areas', is that all new building development in the open countryside should be strictly controlled. The Government have not carried out an assessment of the impact of this policy on any specific types of development.
	Development proposals that require planning permission are matters for the local planning authority in the first instance. Planning applications should be determined in accordance with relevant policies in an adopted development plan for the area, subject to other material considerations.

Population Growth

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the policy implications for his Department of the growth in population in Aylesbury Vale.

Yvette Cooper: Aylesbury Vale forms a part of the Milton Keynes South Midlands Growth Area, one of the four growth areas established by the Communities Plan. The Growth Areas are an important component of the Government's policies for tackling housing shortages associated with household formation and population growth and complement the initiatives to be undertaken as part of the Government's December 2005 response to Kate Barker's Review of Housing Supply.
	The Government's funding allocations to local government for 2006–07 and 2007–08 are currently being consulted upon by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). Whereas previous settlements have used the latest available mid-year population estimates as the basis of funding calculations, as from 2006–07 the level of funding will be based on forward-looking population projections. The population projections are prepared by the Office for National Statistics using a trend-based methodology which projects forward the population (using 2003 mid-year population estimates as the starting point) into the future. The new approach should be more favourable to areas experiencing population growth such as the Growth Areas.
	More generally, in its response to Kate Barker's Review of Housing Supply, the Government announced that as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review it would undertake a cross-cutting review to:
	"determine the social, transport and environmental infrastructure implications of housing growth in different spatial forms and locations;
	establish a framework for sustainable and cost-effective patterns of growth, including by examining the use of targeted investment through the Community Infrastructure Fund and Growth Areas funding to support the fastest-growing areas; and
	ensure that Departmental resources across Government are targeted appropriately for providing the national, regional and local infrastructure necessary to support future housing and population growth."
	The cross-cutting review will inform the spending decisions of ODPM and other Departments for 2008–09 and beyond.

Revenue Support Grant

David Chaytor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the annual per capita allocation of revenue support grant was in (a) Bury metropolitan council and (b) other local authorities in the same family group in each of the last eight years; what the annual percentage increase was; and what the average per capita allocation was for all (i) metropolitan districts and (ii) English local authorities in each year.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows formula grant per head for Bury metropolitan council, all metropolitan districts, and all English local authorities for 1998–99 to 2005–06. Formula grant comprises revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula police grant.
	It should be noted that Bury metropolitan council and the other metropolitan districts only provide some services within their area, both police and fire services are provided by other authorities. The 'all English local authorities' column covers both the services provided by Bury plus police and fire services.
	
		Formula grant per head £ per head
		
			  Bury All metropolitan districts All English local authorities 
		
		
			 1998–99 537.918 667.653 721.889 
			 1999–2000 563.630 705.724 752.996 
			 2000–01 586.541 731.117 778.194 
			 2001–02 600.930 751.824 804.465 
			 2002–03 621.218 759.790 806.510 
			 2003–04 707.464 862.610 892.485 
			 2004–05 755.452 905.388 930.640 
			 2005–06 798.322 959.301 983.154 
		
	
	In their response to consultation on the local government settlement, Bury compared themselves with other authorities classed as CIPFA nearest neighbours. The CIPFA nearest neighbour toolkit would give different comparators depending on what indicators were selected. It is therefore not possible to supply revenue support grant per head for a 'family' group.
	The following table shows the percentage increase in formula grant per head year-on-year on a like-for-like basis for Bury metropolitan council, all metropolitan districts, and all English local authorities for 1998–99 to 2005–06.
	Please note that the figures provided in the first table can not be compared directly as there have been a number of changes in the funding and functions covered by formula grant over this period.
	
		Year-on-year increase in formula grant per head Percentage
		
			  Bury All metropolitan districts All English local authorities 
		
		
			 1998–99 4.4 3.3 1.4 
			 1999–2000 4.8 5.7 4.3 
			 2000–01 4.1 3.6 3.3 
			 2001–02 3.0 3.6 3.8 
			 2002–03 4.3 4.8 4.5 
			 2003–04 9.5 10.4 7.7 
			 2004–05 7.1 5.1 4.7 
			 2005–06 4.7 5.2 4.9 
		
	
	Please note that all of these figures are based on the respective year's settlement. In some years these figures have subsequently been subject to an Amending Report.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) dwelling house codes and (b) value significant codes in use by the Valuation Office Agency for council tax valuation purposes.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 October 2006, Official Report, column 477W. The instructions and advice documents, placed in the Library of the House, following this answer, list the dwelling house codes and value significant codes used by the Valuation Office Agency.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1523W, on the Valuation Office Agency, whether the Agency's (a) value significant codes and (b) dwelling house codes include indicators for (i) patios, (ii) greenhouses and (iii) scenic codes;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2005, Official Report, column 1944W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what the names are of the (a) 17 dwelling house codes and (b) value significant codes.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 477W. The instructions and advice documents, placed in the Library of the House, following this answer, is the dwelling house codes and value significant codes used by the Valuation Office Agency.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2005, Official Report, column 1944W, on the Valuation Office Agency, when electronic value significant codes were introduced.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13 December 2005, Official Report, column 1994W.

Burma

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of exports from the UK to Burma was in each year since 1997 for which records are available.

Ian Pearson: According to figures published by HM Revenue and Customs, the UK's exports of goods to Burma were as follows:
	
		UK exports of goods to Burma 1997–2004 £ million
		
			  Current prices 
		
		
			 1997 15.4 
			 1998 12.6 
			 1999 7.4 
			 2000 8.6 
			 2001 9.5 
			 2002 7.3 
			 2003 5.0 
			 2004 2.2 
		
	
	Source:
	HM Revenue and Customs, Overseas Trade Statistics (OTS A)

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what controls are placed on minerals imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo to verify their source and method of extraction; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Democratic Republic of Congo is a signatory of the Kimberley Process under the terms of which exports of rough diamonds must be accompanied by a government issued certificate stating that they have not been sold to fund armed conflict.

Departmental Assets

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the 10 most valuable (a) movable and (b) immovable assets owned by his Department.

Alan Johnson: The Department of Trade and Industry has the following most valuable assets under headings (a) movable and (b) immovable recorded on their fixed asset register as at 31 March 2005.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Assets Value 
		
		
			 (a) Moveable assets  
			 Furniture fixtures and fittings  
			 Pool—purchases 2002–03 3,390,872.04 
			 Pool—purchases 2003–04 2,259,345.24 
			 Pool—purchases 2001–02 1,387,884.41 
			 Pool—purchases 2004–05 352,077.04 
			 Abbey Orchard Street 267,900.00 
			   
			 Plant and Machinery  
			 Variable speed drives 147,028.62 
			 Lift safety equipment 116,000.00 
			   
			 IT Equipment  
			 Telecommunications cabling 63,726.65 
			 Realtis telecommunications equipment 53,910.99 
			   
			 Plant and Machinery—air conditioning 36,288.77 
			   
			 (b) Immovable assets  
			 Building—National Physics Laboratory, Teddington 94,081,689.48 
			 Land—National Physics Laboratory, Teddington 7,112,228.31 
			 Building—Cobalt 60 Building, Teddington 4,449,633.24 
			 Building—National Weights and Measure Laboratory,  Teddington 4,004,669.91 
			 Building—Chadwick Building, Teddington 3,705,654.56 
			 Building—Bushy House, Teddington 1,737,974.39 
			 Land—National Weights and Measure Laboratory,  Teddington 1,334,889.97 
			 Building—The Core Store building, Edinburgh 1,330,000.00 
			 Building—Thompson Building, Teddington 1,209,253.27 
			 Building—Advance Pressure Vessel, Teddington 259,753.88 
			 Land—British Maritime Technology, Teddington 104,697.25 
			 Building—British Maritime Technology, Teddington 94,227.53

Departmental Costs

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) salary bill was and (b) administrative costs were for his Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London in 2004–05.

Alan Johnson: The Department's total paybill for 2004–05 was as follows, from the Department's Resource Accounts for 2004–05.
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Wages and salaries 246,848 
			 Social security costs 22,115 
			 Other pension Costs 34,876 
			 Sub total 303,839 
			 Less: Recoveries in respect of outward secondments (1,600) 
			 Total net costs 302,239 
		
	
	An analysis of these costs by national and regional spend is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was paid by his Department in 2004–05 in rent for properties in (a) total, (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK and (c) London.

Alan Johnson: In 2004–05 my Department paid £29.6 million rent ex VAT for properties on its HQ estate. This comprised £28.296 million (London), £0.155 million (Yorkshire and Humberside) and £0.061 million (North East) in England and £1.094 million in Scotland.

Departmental Salaries

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the 10 highest-paid employees in his Department; what the (a) job title and (b) salary including bonuses is of each; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case.

Alan Johnson: Details of the highest paid employees in DTI are as follows:
	
		
			 Position Pay Band Bonus 
		
		
			 (a) Permanent Secretary, Department  (a) Potential to earn a bonus of up to £16,000 in 
			 of Trade and Industry1/2 Within the permanent secretary pay range the 2005 pay round depending on performance 
			 (b) Chief Scientific Adviser to HM of £130,350 to £264,250 (b) Potential to earn a bonus of up to 20 per 
			 Government and Head of the Office of1/2  cent. per annum depending on performance. 
			 Science and Technology   
			   
			 Director General, Business Group   
			 1/2   
			 Director General, Energy Within the senior civil service pay band 3 range Potential to earn bonuses of up to £8,000 in the 2005 
			 Director General, Special Projects of £93,139 to £198,197 pay round depending on performance 
			 The Solicitor and Director General, Legal1/2  
			 Group  
			
			
			 Chief Economic Advisor and Director   
			 General, Economics1/2   
			 1/2 Fixed term appointments—salaries within the  
			 1/2 senior civil service pay band 3 range of £93,139 Potential to earn bonuses of up to 15 or 20 per cent. 
			 Chief Executive, Small Business Service to £198,197 or the senior civil service pay band 2 per annum depending on performance 
			 Director, Information and Workplace1/2 range of £75,606 to £159,659 
			 Services1/2  
			 Director General of Research Councils1/2   
			 Director General, Innovation Group   
		
	
	The DTI uses contractors from time to time but they are not members of the staff of the Department.

Energy Schemes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial support has been made available through the Export Credits Guarantee Department for (a) fossil fuel power plants, (b) nuclear plants, (c) renewable energy generation schemes and (d) carbon capture and storage sequestration technology schemes in each year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 20 December 2005
	The following table details the financial support made available by the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) for power plants in the fossil fuel, nuclear, renewable energy and carbon capture and sequestration technology sectors, since 1997:
	ECGD has provided no financial support for power plants in these sectors since 2002.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Fuel type /Market 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 Total 
		
		
			 Fossil   
			 Abu Dhabi — 8 — — — 8 
			 Anguilla — 1 — — — 1 
			 Bangladesh — — — 7 — 7 
			 Brazil — 16 — — — 16 
			 China 32 291 1 — — 323 
			 Cyprus — 5 — — — 5 
			 Dominican Republic — — — 23 — 23 
			 Egypt — — 6 — — 6 
			 Hong Kong 73 — — 1 — 74 
			 India — 20 89 48 — 157 
			 Indonesia 39 — — — — 39 
			 Israel — — — — 11 11 
			 Malaysia — — 770 — — 770 
			 Mexico — — 3 77 — 80 
			 Oman — — 10 25 — 35 
			 Philippines — — 72 — — 72 
			 Saint Kitts and Nevis — 8 — — — 8 
			 Taiwan — — 128 18 — 146 
			 Turkey — 22 — 34 — 56 
			 Vietnam — — 24 — — 24 
			 Zimbabwe 9 — — — — 9 
			
			 Nuclear   
			 China — 58 — — — 58 
			
			 Renewable   
			 Thailand 6 — — — — 6 
			
			 Carbon Capture and storage  sequestration Technology — — — — — 0 
			 Total 159 428 1,103 233 11 1,933

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many meetings of the (a) Textile Committee (conventional regime), (b) Advisory Committee on medical devices and (c) Advisory Committee for the transparency of measures governing the pricing of medicinal products for human use have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved governments; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) This committee is not known by the name given. This committee is known as the Textiles Management Committee and met four times during the UK presidency. This is a Commission-chaired committee and an official from the Department of Trade and Industry represented the UK. No provisions were made for representations from devolved governments.
	(b) and (c) Are a matter for the Department for Health.

EU Trade

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken in its capacity as holder of the EU presidency to negotiate EU trade policy at the World Trade Organisation.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement to the House made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 20 December 2005.

Export Licences

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) open individual export licences were issued and (b) open individual export licences issued with a validity period of (i) two years, (ii) three years, (iii) five years and (iv) more than five years by the Government was in the periods (A) January to March 2004, (B) April to June 2004, (C) June to September 2004, (D) October to December 2004, (E) January to March 2005, (F) April to June 2005 and (G) July to September 2005.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 December 2005
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		OIELs issued for the period 1 January 2004 to 30 September 2005 Number
		
			 Period Total number of OIELs issued 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years More than 5 years 
		
		
			 2004
			 January to March 109 0 77 30 0 2 0 
			 April to June 126 0 95 29 0 2 0 
			 June to September 140 0 97 41 0 1 0 
			 October to December 143 3 84 16 0 40 0 
			 
			 2005
			 January to March 109 3 33 6 1 66 0 
			 April to June 146 5 36 5 0 99 1 
			 July to September 126 1 26 6 0 93 0

Gas

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the recent reduction in gas production from mixed oil and gas fields.

Malcolm Wicks: Production of "associated gas" from the mixed oil and gas fields located principally in the northern and central North Sea has varied over time for a number of reasons. The rate of production is affected by contractual nominations, by planned and unplanned maintenance, by the effect of investment in new production or injection wells or well workovers in existing fields, by the effect of past production reducing reservoir pressure in existing fields and by the effect of new fields coming into production. Total associated gas production from the UK continental shelf peaked in 2002 and has since declined. Production from new fields coming on-stream has not matched the decline in production from existing fields, though there have been significant changes from month to month. Production in August 2005 was particularly low, with reduced deliveries at all four of the main coastal landing terminals (CATS, FLAGS, SAGE and SEAL), but by October production was back close to the level of a year earlier.

Gas

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what incentives there are for oil and gas producers to maintain gas production from mixed fields.

Malcolm Wicks: Producers of oil and gas have commercial incentives to produce gas, whether that is "dry gas" from the gas fields found principally in the southern basin of the north sea and in the Irish sea or "associated gas" from the mixed oil and gas fields located principally in the northern and central north sea. The rate of production can be affected by contractual nominations, by planned and unplanned maintenance and by the effect of investment in new production, in injection wells or in well workovers.

Liquid Natural Gas

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that the liquid natural gas import facility at the Isle of Grain is fully used.

Malcolm Wicks: Both of the companies that own rights to the import capacity at the Isle of Grain LNG facility have reassured me that they have booked cargoes that will fill, or nearly fill, all the available slots throughout the winter. They are working on filling the remaining slots. Ofgem is taking forward work to make sure the "Use It Or Lose It" regime at the facility is working effectively, so that any slots not used by the primary capacity holders will be made available to others who might use it. National Grid's website shows that gas has been flowing from the Isle of Grain facility onto the gas networks at or close to capacity over most of the past two weeks.

Public Service Agreements

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress his Department has made towards fulfilment of each aspect of Public Service Agreement Target 4 in the last six months; whether his Department is on track to meet each aspect of the target; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 24 November 2005
	The UK remains on course to achieve its Kyoto target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below base year levels by 2008–12. Latest provisional estimates show that UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2004 are estimated to have fallen to about 12.6 per cent. below 1990 levels.
	In order to meet the very challenging domestic goal of a 20 per cent. reduction in CO 2 emissions by 2010 it is recognised that more needs to be done, as existing policies in the current climate change programme will not on their own achieve the target reduction. Current analysis shows that carbon dioxide emissions increased by around 1.5 per cent. between 2003 and 2004, mainly due to estimated increases in industrial and transport sector emissions. The current review of the Climate Change Programme gives the opportunity to examine a wide range of policies that we might put in place for the future, to put us back on track towards the 2010, and our longer-term carbon dioxide goal. Key contributions to the revised programme will be initial plans for Phase 2 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS); the results of the Energy Efficiency Innovation Review; and the recently announced Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation. Responsibility for the delivery of this goal is held jointly with the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and Department for Transport.
	Overall position on energy supplies was covered in the first Annual Report to Parliament (Section 172 Security of Supply report was published July 2005). This covers in detail the short and medium term outlook for the UK supply-demand balance, drawing on National Grid's preliminary outlook for this winter published by OFGEM. The Government's market-based approach has delivered benefits over a number of years in terms of low prices and reliable supplies. However, this winter the gas market is likely to be tighter than in recent winters. Under normal weather conditions there are sufficient gas supplies and electricity to meet demand. If the forthcoming winter is much colder than average there will be a need for a response from the demand side of the gas market. DTI and Ofgem have been working with major users to try to encourage this response if necessary. National Grid have made it clear in their winter outlook statement that there will be no problem for domestic gas customers, small businesses and organisations, no matter how severe the winter, barring freak technical disruptions. Looking to the medium term the Government and OFGEM continually monitor developments in the gas and electricity market through the Joint Energy Security of Supply Group (JESS).
	The latest independent report published in November 2005, based on provisional data for 2004 and using established benchmarking methodology, indicates that the UK continues to exhibit the most competitive electricity and gas markets within the EU and G7. This has been due to early liberalisation of gas and electricity markets in the UK. However, the dynamic effect of the liberalisation programme across continental Europe may change that position in the future.
	Progress against the Government's fuel poverty targets is published in an annual report (the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy 3rd Annual Progress report, published July 2005). The number of households in fuel poverty in the UK as a whole has fallen by around 4.5 million since 1996, to a level of around 2 million in 2003. However between 2003 and 2006 the number of households in fuel poverty will have increased as a result of higher prices. This will make reaching the 2010 fuel poverty target more challenging. Departments are working with suppliers and voluntary organisations to look at ways that vulnerable consumers can best take advantage of the current assistance available. The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group in England published its third annual report this year, highlighting the need for consideration to be given to the resources needed to tackle fuel poverty, and the importance of all Government Departments continuing to work together on the issue. DTI and the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs share wording on this goal within their respective PSA targets.

Renewable Energy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent in each year since 1980 on the research and development of (a) tidal power, (b) wind power, (c) geothermal power, (d) hydro power, (e) solar power and (f) nuclear fusion; and what further sums are planned to be spent.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 12 December 2005
	It has not been possible to collate all public expenditure and other Government support since 1980 for energy technologies in the time available at proportionate cost. However, it is possible to detail the DTI and Research Council expenditure on new, renewable, and nuclear research and development. These are set out in the following tables.
	Further spend on all of these technologies will be in line with the Government's objectives.
	
		DTI New and Renewable Energy Programme—External spend for each technology area by financial year from 1990–91 Rounded to nearest thousand
		
			 Programme area 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 
		
		
			 Geothermal-Aquifers -8,000 55,000 130,000 143,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Geothermal-Hot Dry Rocks 2,579,000 1567,000 1,088,000 989,000 245,000 0 0 0 
			 Hydro 33,000 122,000 70,000 167,000 148,000 79,000 142,000 57,000 
			 Solar 2,124,000 2,354,000 2,302,000 2,378,000 2,067,000 1,878,000 1,874,000 1,660,000 
			 Tidal 1,860,000 1,932,000 1,726,000 582,000 220,000 165,000 0 0 
			 Wave 388,000 467,000 325,000 196,000 106,000 42,000 50,000 0 
			 Wind 4,530,000 6,674,000 8,694,000 7,310,000 2,729,000 3,370,000 2,365,000 1,240,000 
			  
			 Nuclear — 73,500,000 69,200,000 60,900,000 12,500,000 6,000,000 9,300,000 1,000,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Programme area 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Geothermal-Aquifers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Geothermal-Hot Dry Rocks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hydro 80,000 138,000 60,000 130,000 200,000 85,000 0 
			 Solar 983,000 1,278,000 1,264,000 1,522,000 4,485,000 3,131,000 1,970,340 
			 Tidal 0 0 27,000 305,000 1,996,000 2,914,000 1,268,530 
			 Wave 91,000 11,000 331,000 662,000 748,000 2,104,000 0 
			 Wind 950,000 801,000 913,000 1,248,000 1,428,000 1,395,000 1,459,600 
			 
			 Nuclear 1,600,000 2,500,000 0 2,000,000 2,100,000 2,100,000 2,200,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. From 2000–01, figures do not include spend on contracts placed direct by DTI.
	2. For 2004–05, highlighted cells show a combined spend for the two areas
	
		Research council spend
		
			 Research area 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–4 2004–5 
		
		
			 Wind 178,000 261,000 330,000 490,000 482,000 256,000 
			 Wave and tidal 175,000 301,000 606,000 617,000 830,000 1,050,000 
			 Biomass 736,000 601,000 701,000 783,000 1,043,000 1,186,000 
			 Biofuel 0 22,000 52,000 144,000 135,000 92,000 
			 Photovoltaic 2,760,000 2,992,000 3,536,000 2,770,000 2,381,000 2,762,000 
			 Solar 1,076,000 1,134,000 1,130,000 1,157,000 1,453,000 1,753,000

Renewable Energy

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated by his Department into the long-term impact of burying sequestered carbon.

Malcolm Wicks: We published two reports on Carbon Sequestration and the results of these can be found in "The Review of Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK" and "The Carbon Abatement Technology (CAT) Strategy for Fossil Fuel Use", both of which can be found in the Libraries of the House. Both reports can also be found on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/co2capture/review.pdf, and http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/cct/pub/catreportlinked.pdf.
	The supporting analysis underpinning the Carbon Abatement Technology Strategy which can be found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/cct/pub/pdfs/r301.pdf provides the work to date on predicting the impact of deploying this technology. Further work on this area is planned as part of the CAT Strategy.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings of the EU (a) Customs Code Committee—duty-free arrangements, (b) Customs Code Committee—tariff and statistical nomenclature, (c) Customs Code Committee—tariff quotas and (d) Committee on recovery of claims have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; what other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representations of the devolved governments; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: There have been no meetings of the Duty Free Arrangements Committee during the UK presidency.
	There have been 10 meetings of the Customs Code Committee—tariff and statistical nomenclature division during the UK presidency. A member of the European Commission chaired each meeting and on each occasion the only UK representatives were from HM Revenue and Customs. Customs matters are a reserved matter for HMG and are not within the competence of the devolved Governments.
	There has been one meeting of the Customs Code Committee—tariff quotas during the UK presidency, HMRC quota experts attended. It was presided over by Patric Wallez of TAXUD Directorate B.
	There has been two meetings of the Committee on recovery of claims during the UK presidency on 13 July and 21 December. The UK was represented by an official from HM Revenue and Customs (HMCE). TAXUD chaired the meeting.
	Customs matters are a reserved matter for HMG and are not within the competence of the devolved Governments.

Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on anti-bullying initiatives in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary and grammar schools in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness.

Angela Smith: Anti-bullying became a separate area of work for the Department of Education in 2000–01 with the commissioning of the research into the scale and nature of bullying in schools. The following table details specific expenditure by the Department of Education for the last five years and planned expenditure in 2005–06. The heading 'All schools/pupils' covers expenditure which cannot be ascribed to a particular sector.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Primary schools Post primary schools All schools/pupils Total 
		
		
			 2000–01 15,000 15,000 60,000 90,000 
			 2001–02 17,500 30,000 3,000 50,500 
			 2002–03 18,000 23,000 1,000 42,000 
			 2003–04 10,000 10,000 5,000 25,000 
			 2004–05 — — 8,000 8,000 
			 2005–06(56) — — 80,000 80,000 
		
	
	(56) Planned
	Expenditure covered research, the production of materials for schools, an information leaflet for parents and a pilot programme of peer mediation in 10 schools. All of this work was pursued in partnership with the education and library boards and voluntary sector organisations with a keen interest in tackling bullying. Feedback on the materials has been positive. The peer mediation pilot was evaluated by ETI and while found to be beneficial could not be sustained by schools without sustained external support.
	The Department does not have information about the resources which schools devote to anti-bullying initiatives from their own budgets. Across the education and library boards at least £200,000 per annum is allocated to specific anti-bullying activity.

Child Support Agency

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2005, Official Report, column 1247–1248W, on the Child Support Agency, what the problems are with the new system; what steps have been taken to solve them; and how effective these measures have been.

David Hanson: The agency recognises that there are ongoing problems with the service it delivers to its customers via the new Child Support computer system. I am, however, continuing to work closely with our colleagues in Great Britain and the system provider, EDS, to resolve the remaining functionality defects with the new system. In addition to the functionality problems there were issues with technical stability, which have now been addressed.
	A forward programme of enhancements has been agreed with the system provider. This will resolve all current defects and provide the specification that will enable the conversion of old scheme cases onto the new scheme. The terms of the recent commercial settlement with EDS means that the enhancements will be completed without further cost. A proportion of payments due to the provider are however being retained, conditional upon timely completion of the programme of work to the required standards.
	Governance arrangements are also in place to assess the performance of EDS against acceptance criteria and ensure the satisfactory delivery of all system improvements.
	Monitoring has identified that recent technical enhancements to the system have improved performance against agreed service standards. Monitoring will continue as the programme is implemented. When Ministers are satisfied that the new system and arrangements are working well, a decision to convert all old scheme cases to the new system will be taken.

Colin Worton

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received regarding the case of Colin Worton; what representations he has received on extending the right to compensation for wrongful imprisonment to include people held on remand; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I have received a number of representations about compensation arrangements and about the case of Colin Worton, including a recent letter from the hon. Gentleman. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has recently written to Mr. Worton, and to those who have made representations on his behalf, advising him of the decision in his case. Those who have spent time on remand in custody as a result of a wrongful charge or conviction may be entitled to compensation under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 or under existing ex-gratia arrangements.

Denis Donaldson

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what relationship there was between Denis Donaldson and (a) the Security and Intelligence Services in Northern Ireland and (b) the RUC/Police Service Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: It is longstanding Government policy not to comment on intelligence matters.

Dental Decay

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to tackle dental decay in children in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Oral Health Strategy published by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in September 2004 sets out a range of targets and recommendations for improving the levels of dental decay experienced by our child population. The strategy aims to:
	improve the oral health of the Northern Ireland population;
	reduce the inequalities in oral health in our society.
	Within this strategy it is emphasised that much of the dental disease burden is related to lifestyle and socio-economic factors and shares common risk factors with other diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
	More specifically, in the past year all community trusts have introduced an evidence-based caries reduction programme in pre-school children. This has been complemented by additional funding of £100,000 per year for evidence-based caries reduction programmes for under 6-year-old children in the 20 per cent. most deprived wards in Northern Ireland. In addition, a targeted preventive fissure sealant scheme was introduced into the General Dental Services in April 2005.
	More generally, all boards and trusts have in place a range of healthy eating schemes which aim to reduce the amount of sugary foods and drinks consumed by children. Many of these schemes involve intersectoral working with the education sector with school-based diet programmes such as "Fresh Fruit in Schools", "Safe Snack Award" and "Boost Better Breaks".

IRA Decommissioning

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the difference was in the original and final estimates for the size of the IRA arsenal in relation to (a) handguns, (b) rifles, (c) heavy machine guns, (d) ammunition, (e) missiles systems, (f) semtex, (g) explosives, (h) timing devices and (i) detonator switches.

Shaun Woodward: On 26 September 2005 the IICD "determined that the IRA had met its commitment to put all its arms beyond use in a manner called for by the legislation". The IMC report published on 19 October 2005 said that the initial signs are encouraging.
	The Government expect a full report on armaments to be published when the IICD have fully concluded their work.

Professional Disqualifications

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many company directors in Northern Ireland have been disqualified in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The following table shows the number of directors disqualified in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 financial years.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Year ending 31 March Directors disqualified 
		
		
			 1996 24 
			 1997 25 
			 1998 32 
			 1999 21 
			 2000 26 
			 2001 16 
			 2002 20 
			 2003 (60)17 
			 2004 (60)10 
			 2005 (60)26 
			 Total 217 
		
	
	(60) Includes undertakings not to act as a director given under Article 4 of the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002.

Prosecutions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases of (a) indecent behaviour, (b) rape and (c) sexual assault files were sent to the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service and were subsequently returned recommending no prosecution in each of the last 10 years.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	In respect of (a) indecent behaviour and (c) sexual assault, the information requested is not available. Until the commencement of the PPS in June of this year, virtually all minor offences, which would include the majority of cases of indecent behaviour and some forms of sexual assault, were dealt with in the magistrates court and were prosecuted by the police. That continues to be the case in those areas of Northern Ireland which are not yet covered by the new service. The PPS does not record offences under the general heading of "sexual assault"—a category which could include a number of different offences some of which would have been prosecuted by the police.
	In respect of (b) rape, over the five year period 2001 to 2005 (to 16 December), of the 133 persons charged by police with an offence of rape, 68 (51 per cent.) were directed for prosecution for rape and 21 (16 per cent.) for lesser offences (eg indecent assault. No prosecution was directed for the remaining 44 suspects. This can be broken down by year as follows:
	
		
			  Prosecution direction for offence of rape Prosecution direction for lesser offence No prosecution directed Total 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number 
		
		
			 2001 12 50 4 17 8 33 24 
			 2002 11 41 3 11 13 48 27 
			 2003 16 50 6 19 10 31 32 
			 2004 15 68 3 14 4 18 22 
			 2005 14 50 5 18 9 32 28 
		
	
	The figures for 2005 are provisional.
	It should be noted that the above figures apply only to charge cases (that is, cases commenced by police by way of charge). No reliable information is available in relation to cases where police did not charge a suspect but reported the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
	Data cannot be provided prior to 2001.

Combating Crime

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from small police forces on their ability to cope with terrorism, drugs and organised crime.

Hazel Blears: Following the publication of the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary report "Closing the Gap" the Home Secretary met with Chief Constables and Chairs of Police Authorities on 19 September and started a process for Forces and Authorities to identify how they would address the issues raised in the report including issues surrounding drugs, terrorism and organised crime. This proposal is on-going and only draft responses have been received to date. The Home Secretary will report to the house at an appropriate time.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, of (a) 23 September 2005 on behalf of Jeffrey Tichaendepi Zungunde (Home Office reference DBL06850, acknowledgement reference B22764/5), (b) 4 October 2005 on behalf of Skender Caraj (Home Office reference C1023261, acknowledgement reference B23417/5) and (c) 11 October 2005 regarding Lucie Bakato Mpunda (Home Office reference M1178507).

Tony McNulty: The information is as follows:
	(a) Immigration and nationality directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood about Mr. Zungunde on 16 December 2005.
	(b) Immigration and nationality directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood about Mr. Cenaj on 19 December 2005.
	(c) Immigration and nationality directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood about Mr. Mpinda on 20 December 2005.

Court Proceedings Statistics

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2005, Official Report, columns 32–33W, on court proceedings statistics, if he will publish the statistics due to be published in late November.

Hazel Blears: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is given in the following tables. It shows the number of defendants proceeded against at the magistrates' court for abduction and offences of supplying alcohol to persons under 18 and those under the influence of alcohol together with those found guilty for supply of alcohol to under 18s.
	
		Number of defendents proceeded against for certain offences relating to the sale of alcohol, by region1, England and Wales 2004
		
			 Offence description Statute Region 0 
		
		
			 Permitting drunkenness or riotous conduct on the premises or selling liquor to a drunken person Licensing Act 1964, Sec 172; Licensing Act (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983, Sec 3 (Sch para 6) North East 1 
			   North West 3 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside 1 
			   East Midlands — 
			   West Midlands 2 
			   Eastern — 
			   London 2 
			   South East 4 
			   South West — 
			   Wales — 
			   England and Wales 13 
			 
			 Selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises(71) Licensing Act 1964, Sees 169 A&B; Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983, Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(1) North East 63 
			   North West 228 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside 59 
			   East Midlands 36 
			   West Midlands 81 
			   East of England 31 
			   London 162 
			   South East 66 
			   South West 33 
			   Wales 82 
			   England and Wales 841 
		
	
	(70) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(71) includes "Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18"

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings of the EU (a) Committee for the implementation of the programme of training exchanges and cooperation in the field of asylum, immigration and crossing of external borders and (b) Committee on the system for comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of the Dublin Convention have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; what other UK representatives were present; what provision was made for representation of the devolved governments; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Joint Action 98/244JHA of 19 March 1998 introduced a programme of training exchanges in the fields of asylum, immigration and crossing of external borders—the Odysseus programme—which included a Committee for implementation. Odysseus came to an end and was replaced by the Argo programme in 2002, which expanded on the aims of its predecessor to include visas. The Council Decision 2002/463/EC establishing Argo included provision at Article 13 to create a Committee for the purpose of adopting decisions on which actions merit funding.
	This Committee last met in November 2003. It has not met during the UK presidency of the EU.
	The Committee established by Article 23 of the Eurodac Regulation 2725/2000 on the fingerprint system which now supports the effective application of Regulation EC No. 343/2003 (the "Dublin II" Regulation) has not met. There are no immediate plans for it to do so.
	Immigration and asylum matters are reserved subjects and consequently officials from the Scottish Executive are not members of the Committees. A Home Office official and an official from the United Kingdom (UK) Permanent Representation in Brussels would represent the UK at any future meetings of the Committees.
	A meeting of the Eurodac User Group took place in Brussels on 13 October 2005 to discuss operational and technical issues. This meeting was chaired by officials from the European Commission. Home Office officials represented the UK.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate the Government has made of the percentage of check points of identify cards that will (a) check all the biometrics and (b) consist of human face-to-face checks; and whether this has been accounted for in the Government's cost-benefit analysis of the scheme.

Andy Burnham: Primarily, it will be a decision for the user organisation in question to decide if a biometric verification or simple visual verification is necessary, depending on the transaction and their previous relationship with the individual in question. The Home Office has conducted research with potential users of identity services with regard to preferred types of verification method. This was conducted independently by Taylor Nelson Sofres and the report "Identity Cards—An assessment of awareness and demand for the Identity Cards Scheme" is available in the Library and on the Identity Cards website—www.identitycards.gov.uk
	Estimates of the volumes of the different methods the Identity Cards Scheme will offer of verifying identity have been made for the purposes of the business case. Human face-to-face checks, where only a visual verification of the card against the person presenting it is made, are not included in these figures as these do not constitute a check against the register and do not incur any costs.

IMPACT

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, columns 2567–8W, on IMPACT, if he will break down the £7.1 million (a) spent and (b) committed by main budget heading; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is as follows:
	Technical delivery projects: £2,254,000
	Programme definition and development of business case: £3,754,000
	Central Services and Programme Support: £1,118,000
	The above figures relate to actual spend. It is not possible to differentiate retrospectively between spend and commitment at that time.

Passports

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been reported (a) stolen and (b) lost (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) to date in 2005.

Andy Burnham: The numbers of passports reported as (a) lost or (b) stolen for the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			  Combined total Lost Stolen Other 
		
		
			 2002 166,358 — — — 
			 2003 184,301 — — — 
			 2004 275,040 212,745 50,737 11,558 
			 2005 (current) 262,645 211,112 42,220 10,313 
		
	
	The figures for 2002 and 2003 are based on applications for replacement passports, and may not accurately reflect all passports that were lost or stolen in those years. The figures for 2004 and 2005 have been collated from new arrangements, introduced from 8 December 2003, that more accurately record the numbers of passports reported to the UK Passport Service (UKPS) as lost or stolen. The figure for 2004 supersedes a figure released in a response to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) on 18 October. "Other" includes passports reported as damaged or destroyed.

Police

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to police forces relating to recruitment and promotion of minorities.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office has not issued specific guidance on the promotion of minority groups. However, the "Breaking Through" Action Plan: Promoting Minority Ethnic Employment in the Police Service was launched by the Home Office in January 2004. In addition, we expect forces to monitor promotions in accordance with their equality employment monitoring duties.
	Overall guidance in terms of recruitment procedures is issued as part of the National Recruitment Standards.
	In terms of specific guidance to forces on the recruitment of ethnic minorities, we have published a 'Toolkit' for running positive action familiarisation events in July 2005. I will place a copy of this in the Library.
	The Home Affairs Select Committee recently looked at whether the law should be changed to allow for positive discrimination. They concluded that the best way forward would be for the police service to work harder within the limits of current legislation through promotion and outreach activities and for the Home Office to explore whether, without changing the law, we could prioritise certain skills and knowledge relevant to policing needs which would have the effect of winning the confidence of communities and would also help to reduce crime and disorder.
	We are looking into this with the intention of issuing guidance to forces in April 2006.

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidance on lone protestors in relation to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: No. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act is clear. Within a public place in the designated area, any person who organises a demonstration, or takes part in a demonstration or carries on a demonstration by himself, is guilty of an offence if authorisation for the demonstration has not been given by the Commissioner.

Adult Education (Kent)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funds have been made available in 2005–06 for adult education courses in Kent; and what percentage change this represents over the previous year.

Bill Rammell: The Government's Skills Strategy, reaffirmed in the White Paper published on the 22 March 2005, sets clear priorities for public funding to support the drive to ensure that employers have the skills they need to be successful, and individuals have the skills they need to be employable and personally fulfilled. Funding for further education (FE) increased by 4.4 per cent. in 2005/06. Funding for non-vocational learning opportunities for adults, delivered mainly through local authority adult education services, has also increased. In 2004/05 we provided over £207 million to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in support of this learning. This has risen to £210 million in 2005/06.
	This funding will enable colleges and other providers to deliver a wide range of learning opportunities to meet the needs of adults in local communities but those who are able to do so will need to pay higher fees in the future. I set out the Government's priorities for the learning and skills sector and the impact on funding in 2006–07 and 2007–08 on the 21 October 2005 and full details can be found in 'Priorities for Success' on the LSC's website.
	Total further education funding allocated by the LSC to colleges and other providers in Kent is £107.67 million in 2005/06-up 5 per cent. on 2004/05. Allocations for individual colleges and providers are available on the LSC's website: www.lsc.gov.uk The 2005/06 funding allocations for Personal & Community Development Learning (formerly Adult & Community Learning) have been made to providers but have not yet been published by the LSC.
	My Department does not hold funding figures for college and other providers in Kent. As the level of funding allocations in local areas relates to the LSC's operational responsibilities, Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member with further details about Kent's 2005/06 funding. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 20 December 2005
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked "how many young people in Gravesham have been granted an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?"
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received EMA is available at Local Authority level, but not at constituency level. The information relates to academic years.
	By the end of October 2005, 7,872 young people in the Kent Local Education Authority area had received one or more EMA payments in the academic year 2005/06 so far During the academic year 2004/05, 5,317 young people in the Kent Local Education Authority received one or more EMA payments
	I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Chris Bradley at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4512 or Christopher. bradley@lsc.gov.uk

Adult Learning Inspectorate

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she received from business groups on the decision to merge the adult learning inspectorate with Ofsted.

Jacqui Smith: A number of business organisations, including the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors and the British Chambers of Commerce, responded to the consultation "A Single Inspectorate for Children and Learners". As part of the consultation Tri-Energy Consulting facilitated for the Department [five] focus group discussions on the consultation questions relating to the adult learning inspectorate. They concluded that
	"ultimately, respondents were not attached to ALI per se, but to what they felt ALI offered. If this could be offered in a different way-improved upon, even-they would generally be happy."

Child Protection Offences

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria social services use in deciding whether to refer alleged child protection offences to the police for investigation.

Maria Eagle: The Government's inter-agency guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children" states that whenever the social services department encounters or has a case referred to it which constitutes, or may constitute, a criminal offence against a child, it should always inform the police at the earliest opportunity. This will enable both agencies to consider jointly how to proceed in the best interests of the child.

Class Sizes

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children aged between 11 and 16 years are taught in classes with a pupil-teacher ratio of more than one teacher to (a) 12, (b) 15 and (c) 18 pupils.

Jacqui Smith: Pupil-teacher ratios are not available at class level.
	In January 2005 the within school pupil-teacher ratio for maintained secondary schools was 16.7.
	Information on the number of pupils in secondary schools, in classes taught by one teacher, by class size is shown as follows.
	
		Maintained secondary schools(86)(87): classes as taught by one teacher(88): January 2005
		
			 England 
			  Taught by one teacher 
			  Number of classes Number of pupils 
		
		
			 Classes of size:   
			 One to12 19,997 156,767 
			 13 to 15 10,077 141,705 
			 16 to 18 13,008 221,974 
			 19 plus 100,413 2,587,573 
			 Total 143,495 3,108,019 
		
	
	(86) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(87) Includes secondary schools with a sixth form.
	(88) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.
	Source:
	Annual School Census

Class Sizes

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children aged between five and 11 years are taught in classes in state run schools with a size of more than (a) 20, (b) 25 and (c) 28.

Jacqui Smith: The age of individual pupils in classes is not collected centrally. The available information is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools (89) classes as taught by one teacher (90)—January 2005
		
			 England 
			  Taught by 1 teacher 
			  Key Stage 1 (91)(92) Key Stage 2 
			  Maintained primary Maintained secondary Maintained primary Maintained secondary 
			  Number of classes Number of pupils Number of classes Number of pupils Number of classes Number of pupils Number of classes Number of pupils 
		
		
			 Classes of size:
			 1 to 20 7,509 126,157 2 40 5,718 90,240 1 16 
			 21 to 25 15,048 350,486 0 0 15,127 355,002 1 23 
			 26 to 28 13,906 376,462 0 0 17,956 486,472 0 0 
			 29 to 30 18,705 554,968 0 0 19,343 572,352 0 0 
			 31+ 695 22,077 1 34 15,340 498,546 1 31 
			 Total 55,863 1,430,150 3 74 73,484 2,002,612 3 70 
		
	
	(89) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(90) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.
	(91) Includes reception classes.
	(92) Key Stage 1 classes of 31 or more may contain pupils who have been admitted as exceptions.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Departmental Staff

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants in her Department worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: My Department does not monitor the number of staff who work from home centrally and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, within the newly launched 10 point plan "Delivering a Diverse Civil Service" there is senior leadership commitment to work life balance and all senior civil service (SCS) and feeder grade posts should be available on a flexible working pattern basis unless robust and objective justification is provided.

Disabled Workers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to expand skills training for disabled workers in Coventry; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Hope: holding answer 21 November 2005
	More people than ever before with self-declared learning difficulties and/or disabilities are now engaged in LSC funded education and training with 579,000 learners across the post-16 sector in 2003–04 at a total cost of around £1.3 billion. We want to work closely with the LSC to continue to break down the barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing quality training. The Learning and Skills Act 2000 places a statutory duty on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to promote equality of opportunity between persons of different racial groups, men and women, and between disabled and non-disabled. To support that work, the LSC has introduced Equality and Diversity Impact Measures as a planning tool to promote greater equality of opportunity in both fair access to and outcomes from publicly-funded training.
	Earlier this year, in our White Paper "Skills Getting on in business, getting on at work" we outlined how the LSC is providing capital funding to support colleges and training providers in making the necessary changes to their accommodation, in order to improve access for disabled learners.
	However, responsibility for the planning and funding of skills training in Coventry, including skills for people with disabilities, is the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, has written to my hon. Friend with further information. A copy of his letter has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 5 December 2005
	I am writing to you to follow up the Secretary of Stated answer to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding plans to expand training for disabled workers in Coventry.
	I know that you have recently met again with Mike Bell, the Executive Director for Coventry and Warwickshire to discuss our plans for transforming the LSC. I believe you agreed to meet with Mike after Christmas for a further update on this topic but I know he will be happy to meet with you sooner if you want further details on our plans for provision for learners with disabilities in Coventry and across the West Midlands.
	I am enclosing a copy of the Strategic Review the Secretary of State referred to in her written answer to your question. This was carried out by Coventry and Warwickshire Learning and Skills Council earlier this year and is now being implemented. Mike and his colleagues will be happy to discuss the detail with you.
	I would, however, like to draw your attention to a few points that might help inform a local meeting.
	We have increased our overall budget for learners with learning needs and disabilities from £138 million to £157 million for 2006–2007 and this will increase again to £181 million in 2007–2008, rises of 14% and 15% year on year from 2005. These rises are significantly greater than the overall increase in our budget over the same period, which increases by 3% and 5%.
	We are making this additional investment in response to the national review of support for learners with disabilities carried out for us by Peter Little. While the review is still out for consultation and we will need to agree nationally how the LSC's expenditure on learning is matched by what other agencies pay for by way of social and domestic support, we acknowledge that our own contribution must rise. This is because the overall numbers of learners with disabilities are rising as medical advances continue.
	At a time when numbers of young people are falling and 80% of the workforce of 2010 is already in the labour market we regard it as essential that the aspirations and abilities of all learners are supported and developed. Budgets will shortly be allocated to regions and local LSCs, which will then be able to plan support for next year. Coventry and Warwickshire's local review will be of great help to them in allocating resources appropriately.
	We want to get the best support for learners with disabilities by making better use of specialist provision across regions. Mike is leading on this work in the West Midlands and has already begun a review in partnership with the Royal National Institute for the Blind to look at how we better support this particular group of learners. The same approach will apply to a wider review of all specialist support.
	We are also working with MIND to appoint specialist coordinators to help us work with learners with mental health problems, which will also improve our ability to meet their needs.
	Coventry and Warwickshire LSC chairs the Employment sub-group of the Coventry Learning Disabilities Partnership Board. This group includes representatives from Jobcentre Plus, Connexions, Social Services, Mencap and Henley College and has developed a strategy to improve access to employment for people with learning disabilities.
	The local LSC is also working as part of the newly-formed Children and Young People's Partnership for Coventry to improve progression for younger learners with disabilities into adulthood and employment.
	I will ask Mike to contact you to as soon as possible arrange a meeting to discuss both these issues, and the detail of your question regarding the effectiveness of vocational education.
	Mike will give me feedback once he has met with you, but if you would like any further information before or after your meeting please do contact me.

Drinking Water

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what measures her Department is taking to improve the access of (a) primary and (b) secondary school students to fresh drinking water;
	(2)  what guidance her Department issues to local authorities regarding the provision of drinking water facilities in (a) new build schools and (b) refurbished schools.

Jacqui Smith: The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 apply to all existing and new schools maintained by a local education authority: that is, to nursery, community, community special, foundation, foundation special and voluntary schools, and to pupil referral units. These require that a school shall have a wholesome supply of water for domestic purposes, including a supply of drinking water. The Regulations do not specify how drinking water should be provided for pupils. However, in our guidance note "Standards for School Premises" (DFEE 0029/2000), we say that those responsible should consider the pattern of demand within schools, which can be concentrated within quite short breaks.
	We give further advice on drinking water supplies in Building Bulletin 87, "Guidelines for Environmental Design in Schools" (2nd Edition Version 1-May 2003). This gives technical guidance, but also makes it clear that adequate supplies of wholesome drinking water should be accessible to staff and pupils throughout the school day. In addition, it states that all water outlets should be labelled as "Drinking" or "Not for Drinking".

Drinking Water

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make it her policy to ask each primary and secondary school to draw up a school hydration policy, setting out the measures it will take to improve access to fresh drinking water in the school, promote water awareness amongst students and encourage sustainable use of water resources.

Jacqui Smith: We are aware of the importance of children drinking water during the school day and the benefits that it brings. The interactive Food in Schools Toolkit, published jointly by Department of Health and DfES, provides a wide range of guidance, resources and interactive tools to inspire and support schools in taking a whole school approach to healthy eating and drinking, including water provision. The 'Water Provision' guidance supports schools in reviewing and improving current provision and in promoting water consumption.
	The Cross Departmental "Healthy Living Blueprint", issued to all schools, brings together all government advice and examples of best practice about healthy eating and drinking in schools. It provides schools with advice on how to improve children's approach to food and drink and exercise, and shows how developing whole school approaches can help bring about significant improvements to the health of children.
	Healthy School Lunches guidance, published by the DfES, contains the Secretary of State's expectation that drinking water should be available to all pupils every day, free of charge. This view is mirrored in the 'Healthy Living Blueprint for Schools', which states that,
	"all pupils should have access to drinking water at all times at a number of points around the school, preferably not from taps in the toilets. Pupils should be permitted to carry water with them and consumption encouraged both in class and during break and lunch time" .
	The School Meals Review Panel (SMRP) made a reference to drinking water in recommendation 7 of their report-Turning the Tables: "There should be easy access to free, fresh, chilled drinking water throughout the school day (paragraph 2.32)". The consultation closed on 31 December 2005 and officials are now collating the responses.
	It is the responsibility of headteachers and school's governing bodies to decide when water should be made available. We consider that they are best placed to make these decisions in their role of having responsibility of the day to day running of the school and with their knowledge of the individual circumstances of their pupils.

Education Model (Sweden)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has commissioned into the Swedish education model.

Bill Rammell: The Department, alongside education authorities in Sweden and other member countries of the OECD and the EU, commissions regular international studies of educational attainment from several multilateral research bodies. The picture of the Swedish education system's performance that emerges is mainly strong. Particular strengths are in primary-age reading and in adult literacy; for both, Sweden came first in international studies. For literacy among secondary school pupils Sweden does well but is not one of the leaders, and mathematics performance is average by OECD standards.
	From time to time the Department commissions its own studies of education in other countries, covering aspects of the Swedish model. Because of its strong adult education tradition, Sweden has been chosen as one of the exemplar countries for a study entitled "International Comparisons in Further Education", now under way and due to report by mid-February 2006.
	It is not possible to ascribe Sweden's success for certain to the nature of its education system. The Swedish model is broadly similar to that of other Nordic countries, at least as regards schools: start of compulsory education at age 7; all-through schools to age 15; pupil testing to standards determined at school rather than national level; and a high degree of decentralisation across the entire system. Swedish and Finnish performance is consistently strong, while Denmark and Norway with similar systems have mixed results.

GCSEs

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the total number of level 2 GCSE equivalent awards were in vocational subjects for each academic year since 2001–02.

Jacqui Smith: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		Table 1: Results(102) of 15-year-old pupils(103) in Level 2 qualifications for pupils in all schools by type of qualification
		
			 Number of Level 2 qualifications 
			  2004–05(104) 2003–04(104) 2002–03(104) 2001–02(104) 
		
		
			 Full Course GCSEs(105) 3,035,800 3,016,800 2,894,300 2,846,200 
			 Short Course GCSEs(105)(106) 197,433 192,454 163,045 149,746 
			 GNVQ Full Intermediate(107) 56,888 45,839 33,361 14,318 
			 GNVQ Part one Intermediate — — 47,100 38,269 
			 GCSEs in Vocational Subjects(105)(107) 54,178 36,503 — — 
			 Basic Skills 6,193 123 — — 
			 Key Skills 5,930 6,581 — — 
			 VRQ 5,823 1,882 — — 
			 NVQ Language units(109) 287 — — — 
			 NVQ 48 14 — — 
			 Total awards 3,362,580 3,300,196 3,137,806 3,048,533 
		
	
	1. Including achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.
	2. Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August.
	3. Figures for 2004–05 are provisional, all other figures are final.
	4. Level 2 qualifications include those at grades A*-C for GCSE qualifications.
	5. Short course GCSEs are equivalent to ½ Full course GCSE.
	6. GNVQ Full Intermediate are equivalent to 4 Full course GCSEs.
	7. GCSEs in Vocational Subjects are equivalent to 2 Full course GCSEs.
	8. There were no qualifications in NVQ language units prior to 2004–05.
	Note:
	From 2003–04 a new group of qualifications approved pre-16 were incorporated.
	Vocational qualifications include GCSEs in vocational subjects, GNVQs, VRQs, NVQs and NVQ language units.
	The following table shows the percentage of level 2 awards in vocational qualifications for each year.
	
		Table 2: Percentage of Level 2 awards in vocational qualifications for pupils in all schools
		
			  2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 
		
		
			 Number of awards in level 2 vocational qualifications 117,224 84,238 80,461 52,587 
			 Total number of awards in level 2 qualifications 3,362,580 3,300,196 3,137,806 3,048,533 
			 Percentage of awards for level 2 qualifications in vocational subjects 3.5 2.6 2.6 1.7

Graduate Earnings Premium

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what monitoring her Department conducts of the Graduate Earnings Premium; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 20 December 2005
	The Department carefully monitors the labour market for graduates, including the earnings premium, using a variety of methods.
	Over recent years we have commissioned a series of projects using independent researchers to investigate the wage benefits to different levels of qualifications. In addition, we have recently published "The Class of '99"—a study of the labour market progress of 1999 graduates 1 . The Department also has strong links with relevant members of the academic and wider research community, to ensure awareness of all recent developments in the literature.
	The latest evidence seems to indicate a small fall in the graduate premium in recent years. We don' know if this is a temporary reduction to a specific set of recent graduates—but even if confirmed the average premium would still remain comfortably over £100,000 across the lifetime of a graduate, in today's valuation, compared with a similar individual with 2+ A levels.
	Serious academics agree that the earnings benefit to a degree remains substantial, and OECD data shows that the UK has one of the highest rates of return to higher education investment by international standards. But evidence also shows that we still need more graduates to meet the economy's future needs: projections suggest that 50 per cent. of the total new jobs required by 2012 are in occupations most likely to demand HE-qualified workers 2 .
	1 All research reports are available at www.dfes.gov.uk/research. "The Class of '99" is DfES research report no. 691.
	2 Research entitled "Working Futures", available at www.ssda.org.uk/ssda/PDF/wf-national.pdf

Graduation

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many British students have graduated from universities in England in each year since 1997; what percentage were entrants from (a) the state sector and (b) the independent sector; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures for graduates are shown in the first table. Information for 2004/05 will be available in January 2006. The latest available information on the school background of higher education students covers young (aged under 21) entrants, and is shown in the second table. Figures for 2004/05 will be available in July 2006.
	
		UK domiciled full-time and part-time first degree students graduating from English Institutions
		
			  Graduates 
		
		
			 1997/98 192,620 
			 1998/99 196,780 
			 1999/2000 197,460 
			 2000/01 199,545 
			 2001/02 201,215 
			 2002/03 206,350 
			 2003/04 212,570 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	"Students in Higher Education Institutions" published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
	
		UK domiciled young full-time first degree entrants to English Institutions
		
			   Of which proportion from: 
			  Total entrants States schools and colleges Independent schools 
		
		
			 1997/98 238,350 81.0 19.0 
			 1998/99 229,810 84.4 15.6 
			 1999/2000 229,260 84.1 15.9 
			 2000/01 228,870 85.0 15.0 
			 2001/02 240,080 85.2 14.8 
			 2002/03 251,460 86.4 13.6 
			 2003/04 254,340 86.1 13.9 
		
	
	Source:
	"Performance indicators in Higher Education" published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Learning and Skills Council

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are employed by the Learning and Skills Council in Gloucestershire; how many were employed (a) at its inception and (b) in each subsequent year; and how many people she expects it will employ after the proposed changes have taken effect.

Bill Rammell: The LSC is embarking upon a major transformation programme that will make it a smaller, more dynamic and more customer-focused organisation. This will build upon its existing strengths; further develop its relationships with providers and with its partners, and help push the highest proportion of its funding out through colleges and providers into front line delivery. At local level, the LSC will develop small teams of professional staff who will support the delivery of its priority objectives through strategic relationships with colleges, providers and other key stakeholders and so ensure that the needs of local employers and learners are met. I fully support the changes the LSC is making as I believe it will help bring about an organisation that is fit for purpose.
	The effects on organisation and staffing are matters for the LSC. I have therefore asked Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, to write to the hon. Gentleman with further information. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 21 December 2005
	In his response to a Parliamentary Question that you raised with Bill Rammell (Minister of State for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning) he suggested that I write to you directly to outline, in more detail, the Learning and Skills Council's strategy for agenda for change and its impact on the Gloucestershire Learning and Skills Council.
	The overarching purpose of our programme of change is to ensure that we develop a structure which is fit for purpose as we take forward our agenda for change with colleges and other post-16 providers of education and training. Through this process our front-line relationships with colleges will change to become more strategic, focussing more sharply on what we are buying to ensure its relevance to the needs of learners and employers is both enhanced and increased. In examining the organisational structure to deliver this important change agenda, it is clear that we can channel many of the "back room" functions of our business away from local offices and carry out these functions more efficiently through a more substantial regional office. This will reduce duplication and create efficiencies that will, ultimately, enable us to invest an additional £40 million on learning programmes to support our community of learners.
	The effect of this change agenda on the Gloucestershire office of the Learning and Skills Council will be to reduce the cadre of staff, freeing them from more routine activities and thus enabling them to spend more time on the strategic relationship with providers and partner organisations. It is important to emphasise that this smaller cadre of staff will be supported by a regional office whose key function will be to undertake many of the important but routine functions.
	When the Learning and Skills Council Gloucestershire became operational in April 2001 it had an establishment of 74 full time equivalent posts. Following the Reshaping exercise in April 2004 the establishment stood at 44 posts. Currently there are 47 full time equivalent posts in the Gloucestershire office which, as a result of this reorganisation, will reduce to a cadre of 13 core posts.
	I am confident that this reorganisation will enable us to meet the needs of learners, employers, communities and the economy across Gloucestershire.
	I am copying this letter to Pauline Bailey, our Acting Executive Director for Gloucestershire, and I am asking her to keep you informed as the reorganisation develops.

Ministerial Travel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on how many occasions since 7 July she has used the London Underground in connection with her official duties.

Ruth Kelly: I have not used the London Underground in connection with my official duties since 7 July 2005.
	All Ministers in my Department use the most efficient and cost effective mode of transport for official business which is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in "Travel by Ministers".

Modern Apprenticeships

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people enrolled on advanced modern apprenticeships in each academic year since 2001–02.

Phil Hope: This information is published in the Statistical First Release "Further Education, Work Based Learning for Young People and Adult and Community Learning—Learners Numbers in England 2004/05", published on 8 December 2005. The document is available from the Learning and Skills Council website www.lsc.gov.uk and copies have been placed in the House Libraries.

School Funding

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will set out in cash terms the increases for each local education authority in each year from 1997–98 to 2007–08 set out in percentage terms in the school funding settlement published in December.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 20 December 2005
	The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Schools White Paper

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with the (a) National Governors Council and (b) National Association of School Governors on the implications for school governors of the proposals in the Schools White Paper.

Jacqui Smith: Ministers and officials regularly meet the National Governors Council and National Association of School Governors to discuss a wide range of issues. I met them most recently on 15 December 2005 when we discussed the implications of the proposals contained in the "Better Schools, Higher Standards For All" White Paper.

Science

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many non-British students have studied sciences at universities in England in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many British students have studied sciences at universities in England in each year since 1997; what percentage were entrants from (a) the state sector and (b) the independent sector; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information showing the number of students on science courses is shown in the table. Information for 2004/05 will be available in January 2006. Information on the school background of young (under 21) higher education students is published annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", but this covers all students and does not show figures for each subject separately. The latest data collected by HESA for 2003/04, covering students of all ages, shows that 11 per cent. of entrants to undergraduate science courses came from the independent sector, compared to 12 per cent. of entrants to all undergraduate courses of any subject. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available centrally at present.
	
		Higher Education students enrolled on undergraduate science(109) courses
		
			  of which, from: 
			 HE institutions in England Total students UK Overseas(110) 
		
		
			 1997/98 429,815 386,445 43,370 
			 1998/99 444,315 402,245 42,070 
			 1999/2000 452,235 410,955 41,280 
			 2000/01 463,990 422,465 41,525 
			 2001/02 474,360 432,580 41,780 
			 2002/03 524,540 477,880 46,655 
			 2003/04 580,885 533,390 47,495 
		
	
	(109) Science covers the following subjects: Medicine & Dentistry, Subjects allied to medicine, Biological sciences, Veterinary science, Agriculture & related subjects, Physical sciences, Mathematical sciences, Computer Science, Engineering and Technology, Architecture, Building and Planning.
	(110) Including students from the EU.
	Note:
	Figures based on a snapshot count as at December 1st . Numbers are given to the nearest 5 so components may not sum to totals.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Vulnerable Minors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which 50 areas have the highest proportion of registered vulnerable (a) children and (b) young adults per 10,000 head of population.

Maria Eagle: The Department does not collect data on the number of registered vulnerable children and young adults. This is not a category of children and young people defined within the legislation covering social services functions. Information showing local authority areas with looked after children aged under 18 years of age per 10,000 head of population can be found in "Children looked after by local authorities, year ending 31 March 2004". This is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000569/index.shtml